Crazy Talk: What Free Mental Health Apps Should I Know About?
April 15, 2017 3:23 PM   Subscribe

You’re probably thinking, “Sam, how does a raccoon wearing a fanny pack help with your mental health?” Don’t knock it until you try it.
posted by lazuli (16 comments total) 33 users marked this as a favorite
 
Are other people as wary of using gamification apps for this as I am? I'm just talking about Booster Buddy, the last app mentioned.

I know from my own experience that the type of "do quest X to get coins to spend on meaningless upgrade Y" type reward loop is fucking terrible for me. That mindless video-game-grinding type reward loop is not remotely healthy, maybe it's just me.

Any time that kind of thing has worked it has been short term, and then I find myself having adopted a bunch of new subtle behaviors ... that just happen to make it possible for me to check "done" in the app without actually doing the work or getting the original benefit. Oh yeah, my subconscious uses the same brain as "me" and I can't treat it like an idiot. Best case scenario is always that I only did a little bit of damage to my mental health.

I find I have the best luck making these changes mindfully instead of trying to tame the skinner box. Others will be different of course.

Also, I work in the web/mobile/startup industry ... so do not fucking give your name to a mobile app developer/startup/venture backed company and give them so much info about your mental health status and ability to have your behaviour altered with virtual rewards. They will, and are already, using that personal information in every possible money making way they can think of with absolutely zero ethical constraints.
posted by Infracanophile at 4:29 PM on April 15, 2017 [20 favorites]


I just went to install Booster Buddy to check it out and: "This app does not require any special permissions"

!!!

I can't remember the last time I saw a straightforward app that doesn't want control over your whole entire phone, so I'm already loving Booster Buddy.
posted by jason_steakums at 4:41 PM on April 15, 2017 [5 favorites]


As far as I can tell, all three apps allow you to use them in some sort of "visitor" mode that doesn't require a log in.
posted by lazuli at 4:50 PM on April 15, 2017


I know from my own experience that the type of "do quest X to get coins to spend on meaningless upgrade Y" type reward loop is fucking terrible for me. That mindless video-game-grinding type reward loop is not remotely healthy, maybe it's just me.
Yeah, I could totally see it working for someone who was not me, but it would just be another thing for me to obsess over (or not obsess over and feel guilty about.)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 4:56 PM on April 15, 2017


The Booster Buddy, at least, only allows you, as far as I can tell, to do three tasks in a 24hr period. The first three were enter an emergency number (eg 911), enter the name and address of the local hospital, and enter a phrase you can tell yourself that makes you feel better. Clicking around on the app now, it will let me enter additional coping mechanisms and access crisis-management resources, but the gamification aspects (ie, the raccoon) are turned off until tomorrow.
posted by lazuli at 5:14 PM on April 15, 2017


(Which is not to say that these apps are perfect for everyone, just that some of the concerns expressed do seem to be addressed/covered by the apps.)
posted by lazuli at 5:15 PM on April 15, 2017 [2 favorites]


This is great, lazuli. These are the bare skills so many people need and can't usually access, for free!

(I'm trying to quit smoking at the same time that a bunch of difficult stuff is going on, so I will definitely be checking these out! Thanks!)
posted by cotton dress sock at 6:53 PM on April 15, 2017 [2 favorites]


Booster Buddy turned me off almost instantly, but Wysa more than made up for it. I like this thing already.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 7:10 PM on April 15, 2017 [1 favorite]


Thanks for this. I'm on board to try these, but I was a little disconcerted by Wysa calling itself "your happiness buddy." That's mighty Sirius Cybernetics Corporation of them.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:22 PM on April 15, 2017 [7 favorites]


Don't panic.
posted by lazuli at 8:32 PM on April 15, 2017 [4 favorites]


Speaking as one, I have a hard time imagining a person who was truly, seriously depressed bothering to install these things, let alone actually using them, especially Booster Buddy. That one one would win the "Fuck This Shit" award quite quickly.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:38 AM on April 16, 2017


Interesting article on Mental Health Apps: https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/blog/details/1064/sorting-through-the-bewildering-world-of-therapeutic
posted by Plafield at 2:44 PM on April 16, 2017 [1 favorite]


Giving Wysa a try. I enjoy Pokemon so there's a good shot I'll like this. Thanks for the tips!
posted by soakimbo at 4:02 PM on April 16, 2017


I like that article a lot, Plafield. And it reminds me that these apps are very similar to self-help books, which have been part of the mental-health landscape for a very long time (fewer potential privacy issues with books, depending on who sees you buying it at the store or to whom Amazon sells any info).
posted by lazuli at 5:24 PM on April 16, 2017


The same people who made Wysa have used similar tech to make StayClose, which...I get that it comes from a place of good intent (make sure your parents are not dead!) but is possibly the most stalkery creepy app I have ever seen.
posted by divabat at 8:20 PM on April 16, 2017


So, I installed the Booster Buddy app after reading about it here and I have to admit it's been unexpectedly helpful. While the racoon friend and clothes are a bit twee, the set-up and exercises have been pretty much the only thing that's been helping me since I had a breakdown this past November (as in I haven't been able to work or leave the house more than a few times a month since then). It doesn't feel like a game that I need to grind, but instead has helped me feel like day to day life can be manageable while I work on healing. This is actually the most present I've been during a severe depressive episode and the activities make me feel like I'm not a complete loser just because of how difficult it is to e.g. brush my hair or do a breathing exercise these days. I know this thread has probably fallen off most people's radar - and the sceptics who commented are likely the only ones to see this - but I just wanted to share my experiences in case someone in need comes across this thread. It's a good app.
posted by A hidden well at 6:48 PM on May 4, 2017 [6 favorites]


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