All in an app...

I recently read an article in The Cut about the rise of therapy apps and how it has exponentially increased in the time of COVID-19. The article had a healthy dose of statistics, anecdotal stories and the writer’s take on how this market is to say the very least nuanced. As someone who believes firmly in the benefits of therapy and investing in your own mental health and well being, I think that in a general sense the therapy apps add to the conversation.

From one aspect, apps increase access, most adults have some access to smartphones that have internet capability. An app for some may seem more approachable, digestible and frankly easier than trying to go to an office for sessions. This additional layer of privacy is important for users who may not have a support system in place to discuss their pursuit of therapy. In many minority and marginalized communities, therapy can be viewed negatively as a sign of weakness or lacking in some sort of internal reserve of strength. Even in some communities it can also be seen as a sign of privilege, reserved for those who have the money, time and resources to indulge in reflection.

In the last 10 years or so smartphone apps have made it easier to automate almost every aspect of daily life, for some they have become as essential as food and water. Access to mental health services has been part of the larger conversation regarding access to general health care services for some time now; typically it is revisited during election years or tumultuous times such as the current pandemic. But one of the main arguments that the writer highlighted that I have to agree with is the quality of the services rendered.

Quality for many people and many industries can be highly subjective. In the hospitality industry, quality can be related to price and exclusivity. In the food and beverage industry quality can be attributed to consistent product production or how efficient and friendly the staff are. In industries like mental health, quality of services has to be consistent, because of the seriousness of the interactions. Many of the apps on the marketplace cannot meet the demand of which services can be requested, which can leave some users more frustrated than when they sought out help. The question I pose to the creators of these apps is, how are they going to address this disparity? Now, like many other business ventures, I could imagine there is a lot of money to be made from a therapy app, from a user’s perspective it would be in the best interest of the app creators to address quality issues. In the age of yelp and google reviews, a few disheartened and frustrated users can create havoc on a brand that is just getting started. Although these apps are in the business of helping individuals, America’s capitalistic nature would ignite a sense or urgency to address these issues.

In addition how can users of these therapy apps be sure that they are receiving appropriate care? To make sure they are not being misdiagnosed? Is that something that is solely at the discretion of the provider? I would like to think that the screening and hiring process for these therapy apps is more stringent because if users have increased access, does that mean that individuals who may not have appropriate schooling/credentialing/licensing are able to provide care? I am not sure the answers to those questions, but as a prospective user, these are some of the things that I am curious about.

At the very least, these apps are planting a seed in the minds of people who may have not considered therapy before, whether it is due to cost, stigma, or any number of reasons people do not pursue the help they deserve. The true test of any industry is time, and time will reveal if this industry will grow beyond situational and trendy circumstances.