OHT Mental Health: Is the answer to good mental health in the palm of our hand?

Digital tools alone may not “fix” mental health, but is there a way to use and embed the full potential of apps, wearables and wellbeing trackers that is safe, evidence-driven, and genuinely empowering to us all?

Today, more people are using a device or wearable to track and measure health and wellbeing markers, including sleep, stress, movement mood patterns and triggers. People aren’t waiting to become unwell and seek treatment from the NHS, instead they have their own “digital toolkit” of multiple apps and practices on their smartphone, bespoke to their own needs and personal preferences.

However, while EMA (ecological momentary assessment) and passive tracking is happening in our pockets and on our wrists, it’s not yet flowing into mental health services within the NHS and creators often struggle to evidence impact because preventative and wellbeing interventions don’t map easily to traditional, diagnostic treatment models of care, mental health outcomes…