[LINK] Australian Association of Psychologists: Community Post

[Stephen Loosley]

Perhaps of interest ..

Australian Association of Psychologists
Community Post by Tegan Carrison
06/06/23

Apple has added some mental health features

Here is the summary from their media release:

Mental health is as important as physical health and affects people every day in how they think, feel, and act.

Research shows that reflecting on one’s own mental state can help build emotional awareness and resilience.

According to Dr. Michelle Craske, a distinguished professor of psychology and psychiatry at UCLA, who echoes many in the field, “Identifying our feelings has been shown to help us manage difficult emotions, appreciate positive moments, and improve wellbeing.”

Multiple studies by researchers have shown that identifying feelings reduces emotions like sadness and anger, and positively impacts our body by slowing our heart rate. Additionally, in a survey of participants in the UCLA Digital Mental Health Study, initial results showed more than 80 percent of participants found reflecting on their mood in the study app increased emotional awareness, and about half said it increased wellbeing.

The Health app in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, and the Mindfulness app in watchOS 10, bring an engaging and intuitive way for users to reflect on their state of mind. Users can scroll through engaging, multidimensional shapes and choose how they are feeling in a range from Very Pleasant to Very Unpleasant. Then, they can select associations that are having the biggest impact on their feelings, like Travel or Family, and describe their feelings, such as Grateful or Worried.

In the Health app, users can see valuable insights to identify what might be contributing to their state of mind — whether it’s associations or lifestyle factors, such as sleep or exercise — and can use these insights to better manage their overall health. There may be times when users can benefit from additional support.

In a recent survey, more than 30 percent of U.S. adults said they have experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression. The same depression and anxiety assessments often used in clinics are now easily accessible in the Health app and can be taken anytime.

These assessments can help users determine their risk level, connect to resources available in their region, and create a PDF to share with their doctor. These new features enable iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users across the world to better care for their mental health, and in doing so, help raise awareness and acceptance for this important topic.
Post comment by Tegan Carrison 07/06/23

PS:  I re-read my post in today's daily email and realised I failed to include context for why I shared this. Apologies!
Primarily I wanted members to be aware that this is something your clients might be using in the near future or it may be suitible as a tool for clients to use.

Further information is available here: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/06/apple-provides-powerful-insights-into-new-areas-of-health/

Post comment by Louise Metcalf 07/06/23

The TGA's latest guidance on software used for mental health apps is a bit of a problem for them though - basically you can't include assessments that give a diagnosis in an app. So I wonder what will happen when it's officially released in September!  https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-06/digital-tools-medical-devices.pdf

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