Digital self-help tools can help prevent and manage mental health problems, but it can be difficult to determine which ones are good for keeping your data private and secure.
– We know that young people often get information about mental health from social media. This is often done by people without medical education. Then the information may be misleading and sometimes even harmful, says Minister of Health and Social Welfare Kjerkol.
The Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet) now offers four new, safe mental health apps for free.
Over time, the number of children and young people claiming to have mental health problems has increased.
– Our goal is to reduce health problems reported by children and adolescents by 25 percent. If more people learn to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings and work on it, we can probably prevent the condition from turning into something more serious, says Minister of Health and Welfare Ingvild Kjerkol.
The government is investing in good digital solutions. Good health apps can prevent ailments from getting worse. However, they should not replace a good offer in health care.
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Application quality
The applications offered by the Norwegian Directorate of Health are educational tools of guaranteed quality, based on recognized principles. They can be found at ung.no and in verktøykatalogen na helsenorge.no
– We all experience difficulties, losses and challenges in our youth and as adults. For some, the symptoms become more severe. These apps impart knowledge and useful tricks in an engaging way. Many people who try these apps find that their pain is reduced and they feel better prepared to face adversity, Kjerkol emphasizes.
Apps must undergo rigorous security and privacy assessment
In order for apps to be published on ung.no or helsennorge, they must undergo rigorous evaluation for security and privacy, quality, content and user-friendliness. The goal is for users and healthcare professionals to be confident that the directory only contains applications that are safe and suitable for this purpose.
- Thought virus (from 16 years) is an app based on cognitive psychology with daily videos and tips that contribute to coping and normalization. The app was tested in 2022 and was downloaded over 100 times during the pilot period. 000 out of 7 users reported improvement.
- UngSpotlight (ages 13 and up) is a digital training program with coping techniques for young people who feel fear or discomfort when speaking in front of strangers, in crowds or in a classroom. The program was tested in 2022 and was downloaded almost 10 times during the pilot period. The program has been tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and has a proven impact on public presentation anxiety.
- grubl (from 16 years) the application is based on metacognitive psychology and offers daily videos and experiments that help train the user's attention and reduce "overthinking". This is a new application. The application is new.
- Selvhjelperen (16+) is a digital course bank with personalized courses and coping tools that contribute to better mental health. Courses cover topics such as sleep, stress, anxiety, depression, habits, emotional intelligence, goal setting, performance anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse, sadness, intrinsic motivation and loneliness. The tool is new.
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Source: regjeringen
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