Do mental health mobile apps work: evidence and recommendations for designing high-efficacy mental health mobile apps

Smartphone-based mental health apps represent a unique opportunity to expand the availability and quality of mental health treatment. The number of mobile health (mHealth) apps focused on mental health has rapidly increased; a 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) survey of 15,000 mHealth apps revealed that 29% focus on mental health diagnosis, treatment, or support (1).