Apple helping Psychologists gain Innovative Insights into clients Mental Health WWDC23
New health features in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 expand into impactful areas and provide innovative tools and experiences across platforms. Image: © Apple
I like many of you watched the latest releases to be announced by tech giant Apple during yesterdays WWDC 2023, and was beyond pleasantly surprised to see that this year they have made major updates to their Health app better supporting mental health and wellbeing!
Users can reflect on their state of mind by scrolling through engaging, multidimensional shapes and choosing how they are feeling. Image: ©Apple
I love the use of colours and shapes when attempting to label and identify how you’re feeling.
Sometimes we may lack the words to capture the feeling we’re experiencing, so coupling it with something more expressive can help so many people in being able to connect to, and label, their feelings.
I also really loved that over time the app can give you a summary or feedback regarding your feelings and how they have tracked over time.
Know when to seek Psychological help
The app also gently then introduces the option of completing a short questionnaire, which depending on the results, can then give some guidance as to whether seeking additional support could be helpful for your emotional and mental wellbeing.
Given this questionnaire can also then be shared with your GP or mental health professional can also make it so much easier to obtain that additional support, and communicate about how you’ve been feeling. It may also help to demystify how to work out when something starts to be more of problem, and when it’s helpful to seek that additional support, as so many people suffer for long periods on their own thinking that they don’t yet deserve to seek help as something isn’t quite bad enough.
I also particularly like that the app can give you feedback on how you’ve been doing with taking some Mindful Minutes throughout your day!
Gently reminding you to pause, and breathe, or ground yourself in this present moment, and then helping you to see whether you have been taking those mindful minutes as the days goes on can be a great eye opening or reinforcing experience.
Final thoughts
The fact that this check-in regarding your emotional and mental wellbeing is so easily done on your phone or on your Apple Watch - easily accessed every day, through out your days - also says to me that Apple understands and wants to make accessible improving this aspect of your health and wellness. It's such a great step in the direction of normalising receiving support for our emotional and mental wellbeing!
I am eager to see whether this app helps to reduce to stigma and shame that can exist about our emotional and mental wellbeing, and help to support more open communication about our emotional and mental wellbeing.
-Anna
