We've previously brought you some of the best fitness and food tracking apps for your Android device, but we felt it was important to address one last element of your overall health profile: your brain. For being such a crucial element of our survival, who we are, and so on, it's surprising that many of us neglect its health.
So these are the best mental health apps for Android. Oh, and when you're done here, be sure to check out our best Android apps roundup!
What are the best mental health apps for Android?
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Approaching this roundup, we took an app or two from different facets of mental health so that you can find exactly what you need. Though far less so than, say, food tracking, there are still quite a few mental health apps in the Play Store to sift through. We've gone through a bunch to uncover these, and we found that they were suitable for a variety of mental health needs.
Starting off our top three is Calm, a very well-known meditation app. It's well designed, and it fits perfectly within the theme of this roundup.
Second is What's Up?, a simple yet effective general mental health app. It's got a ton of features like grounding and breathing techniques, positive and negative habit tracking, and more.
Finally, we have notOK, which acts as a panic alert system for those with suicidal thoughts.
1. Calm
Calm is widely regarded as the best meditation app out there, even more so than its direct competitor Headspace. To discuss Calm, you need to understand that this app offers a ton of different guided meditation services. You choose the duration that best suits your needs.
There are programs for relaxation, better sleep, de-stressing, calming anxiety, mindfulness, self-esteem, and a whole bunch more. All are welcome in Calm, from beginners like me who have trouble sitting still for longer than a minute to more advanced users.
You can choose from different sounds and scenes to augment your meditation, yoga, or attempts to fall asleep. It's really an impressive app and one that I have found useful in the past. Calm has something for everyone.
2. What's Up?
What's Up? is a general mental health app that borrows techniques from Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Acceptance commitment therapy (ACT). That is, it's meant to help you cope with depression, anxiety, stress, anger problems, and panic attacks. It includes a habit tracker to reinforce good habits and cut out bad ones, a diary for symptom tracking, a game of 100 questions to keep you grounded, breathing techniques, and a whole lot more.
Comprehensive in its nature, What's Up? is a really great starting point for anyone looking to step outside of themselves for a bit to gain a new perspective on things. Whether you've just been diagnosed with something or you've been battling it for years, What's Up? is an awesome companion to have with you for the journey.
The app itself is free, but if you want to donate, you can do so via an in-app purchase. You also unlock additional themes for doing so.
3. notOK
Suicide is a serious problem, and so we're a big fan of things that do their best to prevent it. Teenagers developed notOK for fellow teens facing the dark shroud of suicidal thoughts and ideation. Fortunately, adults can get the same benefits from it, too. The app functions as a panic alarm system, alerting your close contacts that you aree, in fact, not okay. You are able to set up to five people as your support network from within the app.
The app then texts a message to them, saying that you're not okay and need help (in the form of a visit, a text, or a call). It also sends your GPS coordinates so that your support network can find you easier. It's a very basic app, which you can support via in-app purchases. It's basically just a red panic button, but simple apps are sometimes all that's needed to save a life.
Other great options
The top three are admittedly more generalized, so a lot of people can find something they need in them. However, that doesn't mean that the others below are any less important. Rather, they may be more specialized to a particular facet of mental health.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp aims to make therapy more accessible than ever, no matter which corner of the world you live in. Users need to pay to use this mental health app, but they get a much-needed service in exchange. You get access to professional therapists via the app. Users can interact with their therapist via texts, calls, or video conferences.
Online therapy brings a crucial mental health service to folks who may not have access to it in their area. BetterHelp also helps people who feel shy, nervous, or reluctant to venture out there physically and find a therapist in person.
The app lets you find licensed therapists, book therapy sessions, keep a journal, stay in touch with your therapist, get urgent help, and more.
stoic.
With stoic., you're diving into a mental health training app, making this a fantastic option for those trying to learn more about their own mental health concerns. There are morning and evening routines to perform, making it easier for you to get the day started with a clear mind, and end the day on the right foot before going to bed.
Throughout the day, you can perform a series of exercises to help clear your mind, including meditation and breathing exercises. This app also makes it easy for you to journal, which can go a long way by itself in improving your mental health. Being able to visualize how you progress makes it easier to recognize when things are going awry, and whether certain activities help you more than others.
Finch
At first glance, Finch seems like a Tamagotchi-like app where you take care of a pet right on your trusty Android phone. However, the more that you take care of the pet, the more that you come to realize that you're actually making strides in taking care of yourself. Throughout the day, you'll be prompted to perform various tasks that will give Finch energy, with each task offering different amounts of energy.
There's a lot to explore with Finch, as you can use the app to perform breathing exercises, create and keep up with a journal, and even help focus with different soundscapes. Not only is this designed to help you take better care of your mental health, but it can also be used as a habit tracker and offers quizzes to help you better understand what's going on with you.
NOCD
NOCD, as you might have guessed, is meant for people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Often misunderstood by the general public, OCD can be debilitating in some cases. This app was designed by people who suffer from the disorder in tandem with experts who treat it. NOCD pairs you with a licensed OCD therapist. Using this face-to-face teletherapy in combination with Exposure and Response Prevention techniques, the app offers you the means to create a customized treatment plan for your disorder.
However, between sessions, you have access to other OCD therapy tools, including community resources. Bear in mind that NOCD isn't meant to replace your other treatments; however, it can augment what you're doing to lessen the severity of your symptoms. NOCD works with different insurance companies in the U.S. and claims to have affordable options for those paying out of pocket that you can discuss when you book your first call.
PTSD Coach
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe ailment for those who have experienced trauma of some kind. While we most commonly hear about it in regard to combat veterans and abuse and sexual assault victims, it can happen to anyone. And that's where PTSD Coach comes in, an app that can help you figure out if: a) you need to see a therapist about the possibility of PTSD, and b) manage your symptoms and improve over time.
PTSD Coach offers a self-assessment based on 20 questions that ask about common PTSD symptoms. Depending on how you answer, the app will give you a score and offer advice on how to proceed. From then on, it encourages you to retake the assessment once a month to get a gauge for how you're improving. The app also offers other tools, such as soothing pictures and sounds to calm you down, including things you add yourself. You also can reach out to support contacts from directly within the app if you're having trouble.
eMoods
Bipolar disorder affects a surprising number of people. It usually comes in two forms, with a couple of derivatives, and presents a severe problem. Like with many mental health disorders, BD is seriously misunderstood. It creates many complications, and while treatment can be difficult, eMoods is an app designed especially for people with BD.
On its surface, eMoods is a simple mood tracking app where the data stays local to your device unless you expressly export it. It lets you track the severity of mania, depression, irritability, and anxiety symptoms. You can also tell it if you had any psychotic symptoms that day, whether in your manic or depressive state. From there, you can get a bird's eye calendar view for your analysis, or export a monthly report to send to your psychiatrist or therapist or both.
DBT Coach
Dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, is a derivative of cognitive behavioral therapy, meant for those suffering from substance abuse or personality disorders, suicidal ideation, and so on. While less common than CBT, there are therapists out there who specialize in this practice. If you're looking to get a head start, then check out DBT Coach.
Through the teaching of skills and techniques, DBT Coach hopes to improve your mindfulness. You'll be learning different lessons, completing exercises similar to DBT worksheets, and performing meditations. It's quite a robust app if we're honest. There are even discussion groups for you to talk to others who are also going through DBT!
Youper
Rounding out our list is Youper. This emotional therapy app utilizes the power of AI to help you deal with stress, anxiety, or the feeling of being emotionally overwhelmed. It incorporates elements from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness to help you get motivated, deal with what's bothering you, or improve your self-esteem.
For a lot of people, one conversation is all they need. Youper's AI figures out what you need most (based on your responses) and provides it to you. For me, it had me go through mindfulness exercises to deal with some negative emotions. Youper is, at its core, a chatbot developed to help you be your best emotional self.
