When you stop using a mental health app, it may mean that it has served its purpose
Breathing exercises, mood journals, or guided meditation on your phone. Mental health apps are on the rise and are increasingly recommended as an accessible way to take care of yourself. Review studies suggest that they can help, particularly with anxiety and depression. At the same time, however, they repeatedly show that people stop using them after a short time, which is usually interpreted as a problem. Much less is known about how people actually integrate these apps into their lives, how they complement therapy or support from loved ones, and whether stopping use of an app always means failure. This is precisely what a new study conducted by INPSY members Vít Suchý, Zuzana Scott, and Anna Ševčíková focused on.