The Regulations and Future Directions Related to Mental Health Apps

Dear Editor, I read with interest the editorial article on mental health concerns of the society.1 I would like to suggest a few additions to this article regarding mental health apps. Mental health apps may be grouped as (a) self-help apps for the self-management of mental health without professional therapist, (b) supported apps with the support of professional counsellor, and (c) apps that uses digital adjuncts to improve efficacy or efficiency of care.2 Among the mental health apps, the PsyberGuide is considered as the gold standard since it offers a step toward providing objective and actionable information for publicly available mental health apps.2 In Saudi Arabia, the health professionals are primarily using mobile mental health apps for personal mental well-being and for psychoeducation for the patient group.3 In a recent study regarding use and perceptions of mobile mental health applications among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia, 36.5% health workers expressed common concern about the lack of evidence-based support on mobile mental health apps.3 It is high time to have a centralized governing body to verify the credibility and authenticity of mental health apps in the country.4 As per the regulations regarding mental health app from the international standards (United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Germany, and Singapore), higher-risk mental health treatment apps may undergo strict medical device regulation with the aid of local expert, technology, and legal firms.4 It is also wise to assess evidence-based support compliance with robust tools governing privacy and security and incorporation of scientifically tested and validated interventions to safeguard the ethical standards of the country.5 Authors contribution TS contributed in the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND Final approval of the version to be published; AND Agreement to be accountable for all the aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Data availability statement The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.