By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    How to Recognize the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance in Men
    May 27, 2023
    4 Signs It’s Time to See a Therapist
    May 24, 2023
    11 Ways To Modernize Your Private Practice
    May 17, 2023
    Important Steps to Take for Scaling A Biopharma Product
    May 2, 2023
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Technology Help Reduce Cases Of Hospital Negligence?
    September 24, 2018
    health benefits of cycling
    Health Benefits Of Cycling: 3 Reasons To Go For A Bike Ride
    September 24, 2020
    What Is A Medical Lawyer: A Guide With Everything You Should Know
    December 8, 2022
    Latest News
    MRI Sedation Options: What You Should Know Before Screening
    May 17, 2023
    What is the Process of Creating Medicine from Nature?
    May 2, 2023
    Choosing the Right Treatment Option for Varicose Veins
    May 2, 2023
    What Are Wrong-Site Surgeries and How Do They Occur?
    April 27, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Free Apps for the Mental Health Blogger
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > Free Apps for the Mental Health Blogger
eHealthMobile Health

Free Apps for the Mental Health Blogger

Rhona Finkel
Last updated: 2012/08/06 at 9:00 AM
Rhona Finkel
Share
10 Min Read
SHARE

As I’m sure you may have noticed by the sheer number of posts I put out a week, I don’t run short of ideas.

Between my own general interests, and breaking news from the alphabet soup of the FDA, AMA, APA, CDC, WHO–and the other APA–I get pretty far.

And that doesn’t count the inevitable, “you should really write a post about. . .” that I get from friends and family members.

As I’m sure you may have noticed by the sheer number of posts I put out a week, I don’t run short of ideas.

More Read

stress and burnout in mental health sector

Tips to Manage Stress and Burnout in the Mental Health Sector

7 Ways to Enhance Your Self-Esteem to Fight Depression
Cleveland Clinic Cites Health Benefits of Lip Enhancements
Caring for Your Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority
How to Build a Positive Mental Health Environment

Between my own general interests, and breaking news from the alphabet soup of the FDA, AMA, APA, CDC, WHO–and the other APA–I get pretty far.

And that doesn’t count the inevitable, “you should really write a post about. . .” that I get from friends and family members.

But keeping up on the latest in the mental health blogosphere matters, too, which brings me to my topic–even if a bit obliquely–of apps for the mental health blogger. (About the “free” part in the title? I’m not willing to fork over money to find out what other people doing what I do are thinking. I’d rather think myself for free.)

Here are some of the most convenient ways to keep up with mental health blogging from the convenience of your iPhone.

The Mental Elf

I was a fan of the Mental Elf before he had his own app, but my life improved greatly just this past July when access to the little guy appeared on iPhone/appendage.

The Mental Elf, aka Andre Tomlin, has worked for 12 years putting together the latest in mental health research and making it readable (i.e. cutting out every “methods” section and all statistics), for places like Oxford University, the English National Health Service and the World Health Organization. He’s good.

As he says on his website,

“I will find just what you need to keep up-to-date with all of the important and reliable mental health research and guidance. You don’t have to waste time looking at dozens of websites and articles every week. I will post updates every day with short and snappy summaries that highlight evidence-based publications that are relevant to mental health practice in the UK and further afield.”

And that’s just what he does.

The app is particularly well-done. It provides access to the weekly posts (examples of what I’m looking at now are “Can online fantasy games help young people overcome depression?”, “Childhood autistic traits are associated with psychotic experiences in adolescence,” and “Adults with serious mental illness have a mortality rate three times as high as the general population”), which are scholarly yet accessible.

In the interest of full disclosure, however, a number of them are UK-based in their interests, and some might be too academic for certain readers (e.g. the latest post, “Haloperidol reduces mania a little faster than second-generation antipsychotics, according to systematic review” really floats my boat, but may leave those with less interest in the technicalities of psych meds reaching for a Maeve Binchy novel).

It’s searchable by topic, and on each post you can make a private note, which is also later searchable. There’s of course the option to save favorites (spelled, but of course, “favourites”), a way to post a public website comment, and the capacity to share each article via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.

The user interface is lovely, there’s easy access to support–and the app actually works, which is more than I can say for some mental health apps I was testing today. I really give it two thumbs up.

Psych Central

Psych Central, called the “WebMD for mental health,” offers the latest on all aspects of mental health–disorders, medications, therapy, treatments, the whole works. The main pieces are written by founder John Grohol, a clinical psychologist–but then there are dozens of connected blogs that are more specialized.

The app hooks you into the main site, with Psych Central News, and then lets you choose from a ridiculous number of the blogs that are self-updating.

The options run from A to Y, starting with “ADHD from A to Zoe,” passing by “Mental Health Humor” and “Real World Research” and landing on “Y Factor.”

They’re not all top-notch, it’s true, but a choice of “Real World Research”–wait. I was going to say that it was exceptionally useful for the mental health blogger, but I just got updated with a post which lets me know, “And so, dear readers, I am shutting down the Real World Research lab,” so forget that. “Always Learning” will have to suffice.

You can see in the graphic to the left the bells and whistles options–changing font size, selecting what should go on your front page. And you can retweet an article, or share it on Facebook or via e-mail.

The hardest part of using this app is limiting yourself to a reasonable number of blog choices–otherwise your front page becomes impossible to get through.

APA Journals

How this gem of a find stays free is more than I can fathom, but I’m not about to complain.

Put out by the American Psychological Association (APA) it provides access to online journal feeds, so you can keep your your eye on the ball of mental health happenings.

Just to be clear–you only get the title and the abstract, but, to be honest, that’s often enough to set bloggers going.  I like to get the full article before I spout off, but this helps me know what I’m looking for before I even know I’m looking.

It follows such a staggering array of journals that sometimes the articles are fairly peripheral to what piques my interest (I don’t get a lot of ideas from Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factor, and Methodology: European Journal of Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences can leave me cold–and, frankly, I don’t do much with Zeitschrift für Psychologie), but you’re bound to find something that interests you, whether it’s geriatric psychology, educational psych, social psychology, or–everyone’s favorite–abnormal psych.

You can select your font size, which is good for aging eyes like mine, bookmark and save your favorite articles, and share your selections via e-mail or Facebook (apparently the APA is on a Twitter strike, I guess).

You’ve also got access to the APA press releases, which are sometimes intriguing (July 11th’s was “Middle-Aged Women Who Were Child Abuse Victims at Increased Risk for Heart Disease, Diabetes” which sounds like a killer blog topic to me), and  sometimes fairly mundane (I am lucky to know the convention highlights for the APA’s 120th Annual Convention, which is going on as I write–and I know where the press room is, should I feel the sudden urge to give an interview, I guess).

Addendum: Current Psychiatry

It’s most likely beyond too technical for most bloggers’ interests–and almost certainly too technical for most readers’ interests–but I’m a fan of Current Psychiatry, even though it takes forever and a day to load on my phone (a 3GS–don’t say I didn’t warn you).

It’s pretty basic in terms of the tricks it performs (meaning you can “favorite” an article and that’s about the best you’re going to get), but its articles are fascinating, if sometimes a little abstruse (my latest feed has “‘Bugs in my skin’: What you should know about delusional infestation,” for example), and you have access to the latest (meaning two) audiocasts, which are up-to-date enough to have one on “Psychiatric risks among athletes.”

I’d be happy to share a few more of my tricks with you, but my “Therapy Soup” blog on Psych Central just updated with an article called “Anxiety, Depression and the Importance of Sleep,” and, after a quick perusal, I’ve decided that I’d best be off to take a prophylactic nap.

TAGGED: mental health, mobile health apps

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Rhona Finkel August 6, 2012
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article The Plague of Unnecessary Antibiotics
Next Article I’m Gonna Get Wello – Personal Training Anytime, Any Where

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

How to Recognize the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance in Men
How to Recognize the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance in Men
Health May 27, 2023
nursing trends and predictions
Biggest Nursing Trends and Predictions for 2023
Nursing May 25, 2023
medical answering service
How Medical Answering Services Can Improve Patient Care
Technology May 25, 2023
healthy parenting
4 Ways Parents Can Raise a Healthy and Happy Child
Parenting May 25, 2023

You Might also Like

How to Recognize the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance in Men
Health

How to Recognize the Signs of Hormonal Imbalance in Men

May 27, 2023
ADHD substances
Addiction

Impacts of Caffeine & Other Stimulants on ADHD Treatment

May 21, 2023
postpartum depression
Mental Health

Postpartum Depression: Causes, Risks, and Treatment

May 1, 2023
mental health tips
Mental Health

5 Ways To Improve Mental Health Without Medication

April 19, 2023
//

We influence million of users and is the most authentic source of information on healthcare business and technology news.

Quick Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US

© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?