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by asaddhamani 1773 days ago
Congrats on the launch!

Is a chatbot the best way to accomplish this? I used the app for 5 minutes and barely got past the onboarding. Yes maybe it feels more personalised but it's much slower to get to the point.

Like WORMS_EAT_WORMS mentioned, stepping away from screens I've found is much better for improving mental health, which also makes me question the premise of apps like Headspace.

Would be great to hear your perspective on these points.

Best of luck!
2 comments
phowson83 1773 days ago
Thanks for your interest and for checking out the app. We've tried various approaches and I think it's one of the more engaging methods of delivering CBT that we've trialled to date, but we're certainly not married to it and we're always thinking of ways that we could deliver CBT in a more engaging manner. The main issue we find, is that when you are walking people through specific modules or exercises you want to keep them engaged and not just throw a load of content at them either as a block of text or a video which they will probably skip.

I'd certainly agree on the idea of unplugging and stepping away, and as I also mentioned to WORMS_EAT_WORMS, this is a form of "Behavioural Activation" which has good grounding as a highly effective self-help skill for your toolbox. I would say apps can be effective for learning and practicing other "tools" such as "cognitive restructuring" (thinking about thoughts and trying to reframe them in an objective manner), or gratitude journaling and review, both of which are used in the practice of CBT.

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all_usernames 1772 days ago
This right here is a huge challenge. My smartphone is a gigantic source of my daily stress -- it transmits the awful news, the demands of my friends and family, a ton of garbage advertising, all my bills, AND all my work communications!

Someone please make a standalone device for all the mental health apps, so I can take it to the park with me and detox :)

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all_usernames 1772 days ago
Eh, Apple maybe read my mind with upcoming Focus mode:

"you set an activity that you're doing, such as working, exercising, reading, or spending time with family, and block out the notifications that are unrelated to those tasks"

https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-15-focus-mode/

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