(Credit: Pabak Sarkar)
350 million people suffer from depression worldwide and untold millions more suffer from other devastating mental illnesses. Depression has many forms and varies in severity. It's difficult to treat, but modern connectivity represents a new way to increase mental wellbeing. Mental health smartphone apps like Code Blue and counseling text lines both are relatively ways to get help.
Nearly everyone seems to knows someone who's been depressed or has been depressed themselves at one time or another. Depression is characterized by an unexplainable sadness that lingers. It can be accompanied by apathetic feelings and anxiety. Some experience symptoms like feelings of worthlessness or even the loss of interest in normally enjoyable hobbies. Depression strikes the young as well as the old, and finds the destitute as well as the wealthy. Teachers get depressed and so do their students. No one is immune.
Depression is pervasive, yet so is technology. There are more mobile devices than people in the world. This is why it is so shocking to me that those that suffer from depression sometimes receive so little empathy or consideration. We collectively have the ability to connect at unprecedented rates yet remain isolated from strangers and insulated within our own groups.
A 2013 study titled "Smartphones for Smarter Delivery of Mental Health Programs: A Systematic Review" determined that, "Mental health apps have the potential to be effective and may significantly improve treatment accessibility." The study does however note that, "Further rigorous research is required to develop and test evidence-based programs."
Mobile mental health support services like the Crisis Text Line are part of the solution. You have access around the clock to speak with a counselor about any topic even if it's not directly related to depression. Attitudes about mental illness like depression varies depending on what part of the world you live in. The perception of mental illness is different in other countries and is shaped by factors like culture and the predominant religion in that country. The levels of stigmatization also vary from country to country. Stigmas biases against individuals suffering from mental illness remains significant roadblock on the path toward treatment and complete recovery.
Untreated depression can be just as harmful and just as deadly as cancer. Though from the way it is often regarded, you might think it was as inconsequential as the common cold. Many damaging stereotypes exist about depression and those suffering from it. It's a misunderstood disease: in many instances depression might even be confused or conflated with other disorders like bipolar disorder.
Everyday life is filled with a myriad of stresses the stresses contribute to increasing numbers of individuals suffering from mental health issues. College students in particular could benefit from easily accessible mobile mental health apps, given that a Baylor University study found that students spend between 8 - 10 hours per day on their cellphones. Research from the American psychological Association indicates that nearly half (44%) of all college students that seek help from college counselors suffer from mental illnesses like depression. More than half of those psychological issues stemmed from depression and bipolar disorder.
Depressive feelings and thoughts are normal part of life for everyone but what we're talking about this more than that. Clinical depression lasts a long time and can be debilitating if left untreated. If we want to help people recover from diseases like depression, we must encourage and help them cope. Mental health mobile applications on cell phones are an easily accessible way to help people talk about their problems and work through them.