I’m posting this for extra credit – anxietyhelper Review

Based on my assessment, I would rate this app a 3.5. I think that the app is accessible, inclusive, applicable to a wide age range, and thorough. It features a simple, aesthetically pleasing design, is easy to use, and best of all, its free! The reasons for my deductions were both technical, and content-related. The technical issue is that the way to exit out, or return to the last window, is to swipe left. However, when you have clicked into some functions of the app, such as guided meditation or deep breathing, you are unable to swipe out. The only way to get out of that window is to close the app completely or wait for the function to complete. I find it ironic that during a guided meditation for the purposes of reducing anxiety, one is at risk of becoming incensed by the inability to swipe out of the meditation. Another technical issue I found with the app is that it is very clearly written by an adolescent. This may be beneficial for users on the younger end of the spectrum, because the language is familiar, but as an older adolescent I found myself incredibly distracted by grammar errors and poor sentence structure. I feel like it took away from the legitimacy of the app. In terms of content, I was impressed with the abundance of information, tools, and resources that this app offers for a variety of mental disorders. However, I did notice some issues. I was experimenting with the “panic attack guidance” tool, part of which involved me writing a story. The app offers prompts to guide your writing, but upon clicking this option I was given the following: “You’re watching a Netflix series about murderers who have been on the run for years, but when you get to the third episode you discover that it’s about your parents”. I understand that this is a distraction tool, but if someone is at risk of having a panic attack, a prompt involving the possibility of their parents being runaway murderers does not seem like the most calming distraction. According to a study analyzing characteristics of fearful spells and panic attacks in adolescents, the majority of participants named “frightening thought” as the trigger for their panic attack, thus supporting my concerns (Asselmann, Pane-Farre, Isensee, Wittchen, Lieb, Hofler, & Beesdo-Baum, 2014). My biggest issue with the content of the app was that none of the tools, resources, or information is necessarily reliable or effective. In the disclaimer, it explicitly states that “the creator is not a medical professional in any way…the advice included in this app is from experience mixed with research”. The sprinkle of research is encouraging, but besides the resource links there is no reference to such research. For me, that is a red flag. While I know that this app may not necessarily helpful, I at least want evidence that it wouldn’t be harmful. The app creator’s motivation was providing a resource that teens could access in a matter of fifteen minutes instead of combing the internet for information, yet the content of the app consists of many things pulled from the internet. How do we know that they pulled the right things? Despite my concerns regarding effectiveness, I believe that this app is appropriate due to the fact that it may offer adolescents resources or support that they would not otherwise access. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only 41% of depressed adolescents in 2016 received treatment for reasons such as fear of stigma, cultural norms, racial disparities, socioeconomic inequality, and geographic barriers (“Center for Behavioral Health Statistics”, n.d.). With all of these barriers, and the fact that adolescents are glued to their phones anyways, there’s something to be said for managing mental health from their phone. Another reason for its appropriateness is the fact that it includes self-regulation strategies such as guided venting and guided breathing. According to Steinberg, self-regulation skills could be the key to closing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged adolescents, so these interventions are incredibly relevant to all of the adolescent population, not just those experiencing mental illness (Steinberg, 2014). Steinberg also writes that the adolescent brain is more sensitive to stress, therefore the concept of an anxiety app for teens is ideal. In theory, since adolescence is a period of brain plasticity in which existing connections are being reorganized, the practice of self-regulation through the AnxietyHelper app could assist in beneficial reorganization of the brain (Steinberg, 2014).
Review by fmleonard21 on anxietyhelper.