Mental Health Mobile Applications Used During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of mobile applications increased among people coping with mental health problems. This study aimed to review mobile applications developed or used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: In order to retrieve related articles, the keywords "COVID-19", "Mental health", and "Mobile application" were searched in Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases without a time limit until April 12, 2022. After selecting the articles according to the entry criteria, the features of the introduced applications were checked. Results: Finally, 25 articles were included in the study, of which 20 applications were developed during the pandemic and five practical programs were already designed. Four applications were designed for medical staff, and 16 were designed for the general public, for each of students, children aged 3-9, COVID-19 patients, cancer patients, and both medical staff and patients with stress disorders one app was designed. The reviewed applications presented educational tips for overcoming negative and destructive thoughts, and getting information about a healthy lifestyle. Also, eight applications provided contractions between users and psychologists. Conclusion: The results of this study can be used as a comprehensive source to examine the features and capabilities of mental health applications during the Coronavirus pandemic. It is suggested that by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of such applications, measures should be taken to develop more comprehensive applications that meet users' needs.

Keywords

• mobile application
• mental health
• covid-19
• systematic review