How to develop a mental health app as a healthcare business?

Mental health is of great importance, although many underestimate it. According to statistics, about 20% of all adolescents have psychological disorders that, without the need for treatment, can turn into complex diseases already in adults. So, every 40 seconds, there is one suicide in the world. Many companies want to create mental health apps to help people cope with their current problems.

How to create a mental health app?

Today, many people prefer to use mental health tools through a mobile device, which is why many entrepreneurs want to create a mobile application.

It will allow people who need psychological help to receive qualified help much faster and reduce the burden on therapists and psychiatrists.

The software outsourcing guide says that in the first stage, you must carefully study the market and understand the main aspects of development. So, first of all, it is necessary to learn the main types of applications for psychological health; among the most common are:

• Claims of psychological disorders;
• Post-traumatic stress disorder;
• Eating disorders;
• Applications for meditation and self-improvement.

The choice of application type depends on the main idea of ​​your software. The list of functions that it should perform will trust this.

The target audience

Determining the target audience is the most critical parameter in the work of each project. However, this is of great importance concerning mental health, as young and older people perceive problems differently. It is also worth deciding who will use the application – patients or doctors. That is why you need to develop a plan that considers the user’s state.

There are 3 main features of a top-notch mental health app:

• self-control;
• notifications and reminders;
• support groups.

Each of these aspects is of great importance, so it makes sense to consider them in more detail.

Self-control

Most users who use the mental health app do so for self-management. So, clients can write down their thoughts, feelings, and moods here, which helps to reduce stress levels significantly. In addition, here, you can make notes about taking medications, if necessary.

In addition, people diagnosed with an eating disorder can record meals here, which also manifests self-control.

Notifications and reminders

Sometimes people forget about self-control and need to be constantly reminded of it. Thus, the primary purpose of reminders is to encourage self-control. It is beneficial for very busy users. However, it is worth remembering that too many reminders can cause stress.

Support groups

Psychologists often advise their clients to attend support groups because this is a very effective way to cope with problems and to understand that you are not the only one facing similar issues. Usually, such groups are supervised by specialists who push people to draw the correct conclusions. The problem is that not everyone can attend such meetings, and web groups are usually more accessible and as effective as meetings in real life.

How much does software development may cost

The cost of developing a mobile application depends heavily on what functions it should perform, how much time is available for development, and what tools you will use. Angular usage statistics show that frameworks and ready-made libraries can significantly reduce costs because many such tools are free and help considerably minimize work time. To know the exact price, you need to define what features you want to get in the future solution.

What can mental health apps be called good?

Software development is a rather complicated process and if you haven’t heard about QArea’s developers yet, follow the link to learn more about the development in healthcare industry. So, it is necessary to define criteria to show that the software is created effectively. Among the most common are:

• interaction with the target audience;
• good automation of all processes;
• observance of safety rules;
• Pay attention to stigma.

You need to conduct comprehensive testing. It will allow you to identify the slightest errors in software creation. If the financial situation allows, it is better to use both manual and automated testing. It will enable you to identify even more errors in the interface creation, including functionality, performance, and other aspects. The slightest errors must be found and corrected in time, so this must be done as the code is being created.

In the end

Creating such mobile applications can bring many benefits to people with psychological problems. Such software must be straightforward, not bring additional stress, and accurately perform the necessary functions. Creating such an application is highly complex, so you need to seek help from specialists with extensive experience.