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Review of Use and Integration of Mobile Apps Into Psychiatric Treatments

  • Psychiatry in the Digital Age (J Shore, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Psychiatry Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Mental health practitioners should understand the features of current, publicly available apps; the features of novel, research apps; and issues behind the integration of mobile apps and digital health services into clinical workflows.

Recent Findings

The review is based on a research literature and the authors’ clinical and healthcare administration experiences. Articles searched—on telepsychiatry, telemental health, mobile mental health, informatics, cellular phone, ambulatory monitoring, telemetry, and algorithms—were restricted to 2016 and 2017. Technologies are used in a variety of clinical settings, including patients with varying mental illness severity, social supports, and technological literacy. Good practices for evaluating apps, understanding user needs, and training and educating users can increase success rates. Ethics and risk management should be considered.

Summary

Mobile apps are versatile. Integrating apps into psychiatric treatment requires addressing both patient and clinical workflows, design and usability principles, accessibility, social concerns, and digital health literacy.

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References

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to UC Davis Department of Psychiatry, the UCSF Department of Psychiatry, the UCSF Division of Hospital Medicine, and the Office of the Chief Health Informatics Officer at UCSF Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hospital Medicine Clinical Informatics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Steven Chan

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Steven Chan

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Steven Chan, Haley Godwin, Alvaro Gonzalez & Peter M. Yellowlees

  4. Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Visalia, CA, USA

    Donald M. Hilty

  5. University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA

    Donald M. Hilty

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  1. Steven Chan
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  2. Haley Godwin
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  4. Peter M. Yellowlees
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  5. Donald M. Hilty
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Correspondence to Steven Chan.

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Conflict of Interest

Steven Chan reports being financially compensated by North American Center for Continuing Medical Education, LLC for teaching.

Haley Godwin, Alvaro Gonzalez, Peter M. Yellowlees, and Donald M. Hilty each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Psychiatry in the Digital Age

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Chan, S., Godwin, H., Gonzalez, A. et al. Review of Use and Integration of Mobile Apps Into Psychiatric Treatments. Curr Psychiatry Rep 19, 96 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0848-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0848-9

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