The Health application is becoming more complete and functional as our site to monitor the state of our body in general, especially If we are Apple Watch users. But with this latest update Apple has decided to focus on a topic that had not been touched upon before in technology on a massive scale, and that is Mental Health.
If you want to know what changes the Health app has in terms of psychological problems and how it can help you, this is undoubtedly your article.
The new features of the Health app
Apple, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical multinational Pfizer and with doctors Robert L. Spitzer, Janet BW Williams and Kurt Kroenke, among others, has launched a mental health module in the Health application which, although it does not replace a medical diagnosis, can give us indicative results of how we are and set off alarm bells in case a problem is seen.
To access these questionnaires, simply You must enter the Health app and access the Mental Health section, where you can do evaluations aimed especially at more common diseases such as anxiety or depression
When you finish the questionnaires, you can obtain more information about the results obtained by marking the information symbol that will appear next to the results, as well as the possibility of exporting your report in PDF or have access to mental health articles and resources based on what you got.
Another possibility that the application opens is carry out periodic questionnaires as a checkpoint, so when you activate the periodic questionnaires or Negative Records option, you will receive a couple of messages a year to repeat the survey and see if there have been changes or progress in the diagnosis that the application gives you.
Why can Apple now show interest in Mental Health?
The growing relevance of mental health in the last 10 years has been based on a combination of factors and, in recent times, especially since the end of the Covid19 pandemic, it has gained special relevance in the private sphere. Some of the reasons that indicate that there is greater concern about mental health issues could be the following:
Greater Public Awareness: mental health is now a concern
In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in public awareness about the importance of mental health. Awareness campaigns, dissemination of information through media and social networks have contributed to a deeper understanding of mental health problems.
Destigmatization of mental health problems
It has been a cultural change in the perception of mental disorders, in which we have gone from seeing people with mental health problems as ācrazyā a āpeople who need helpā without all these stigmas with which classical psychology started.
The destigmatization of mental health problems has encouraged more people to seek help without fear and to become increasingly concerned about these types of ailments.
Epidemiological Data: the evidence does not lie
Epidemiological data have shown an increase in the prevalence of mental disorders in the population. Studies and surveys worldwide, such as the last one published by the World Health Organization in 2022, have identified a growth in the burden of mental illness and the rest to address this silent pandemic effectively.
Social Changes and Stressors: the environment and society influence
Significant changes in society, such as urbanization, increased digital connectivity, and social pressure, have contributed to higher levels of stress and anxiety, which has increased the importance of addressing mental health.
But we can also see a big change in terms of the patterns that value the importance of mental health not only at the individual level, but also that companies and organizations increasingly recognize the importance of being vigilant about this problem and increasingly begin to more be proactive in implementing policies and programs to address employee mental health.
Impact of Global Events: we are no longer only affected by what is close to home
Global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the fragility of mental health Worldwide. The stress, isolation and uncertainty to which humanity has been subjected throughout this pandemic have intensified the challenges related to mental health, triggering them and even causing in a certain way that people who previously we could consider to be well, who a psychological pathology arose.
Greater access to information related to mental health
And here we have to break a spear in favor of the Internet, since the ease of accessing information through it has allowed more people to understand the symptoms of mental disorders and seek resources for self-care and professional support.
La possibility of taking online mental health tests or even being able to use certain Artificial Intelligence tools As an introductory way to therapy, they have helped many people realize that they had a problem that needed a solution.
Health changes are important, but always go to professionals
From iPhoneA2 we have to applaud this great initiative from Apple that shows that health is not only a physical issue, but Mental health is very important at all levels.
So having the ability to perform certain controls through the app I think is They are an interesting starting point. so that we users are a little more aware of this.
Of course, although applications can be useful tools for self-knowledge and monitoring, they should not be the only source of evaluation of your mental health, so whenever you suspect that you may be suffering from an ailment of any kind, It is important that you go to a professional so that they can assess your situation more broadly. and give you some guidelines or treatment if you need it.