Using mobile apps to improve mental health (literature review)

Introduction. Mental disorders are the leading global cause of illness and poor quality of life. The demand for mental health services is steadily increasing. However, the shortage of specially trained health workers, high cost of standard therapy, etc. make it difficult to engage in face-to-face psychological support interventions. In this regard, mobile and Internet technologies can be considered as potential tools to improve access to health care. These tools are being studied in many countries, but it is still unclear which of them have the greatest impact and what exactly contributes to achieving the best results.

The purpose of the study. To analyze the current international literature on existing mobile applications for the recognition, prevention, and treatment of mental health problems.

The search for scientific literature was carried out in the international PubMed/MEDLINE database for 2024-2025. The following keywords were used in different combinations for the search: “mental health”; “mobile apps for mental health”; “depression”; “dementia”.

Mobile apps have been shown to be successfully used in many countries to address a variety of issues, including high levels of psychological stress, depression and burnout in the workplace, insomnia, risk factors for dementia, etc. However, not all apps are effective enough, and there is uncertainty about patient adherence to digital mental health treatments. The review discusses possible reasons for the lack of effectiveness of these methods or patient engagement in programs, as well as ways to improve them.

Mobile applications for smartphones can provide excellent results in improving mental health, showing effectiveness in a wide range of problems. Therefore, further development of this area seems appropriate.

Funding. This article was prepared by the author as part of the research project “Innovative approaches to the development of the public health care system of the city of Moscow” (EGISU No. 123032100060-2).

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: March 19, 2025 / Revised: June 10, 2025 / Accepted: October 8, 2025 / Published: December 17, 2025

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