Mental Health Application Market Research Report: Forecast (2021-2026)

Market Definition

Most mental health applications are either free or available at low costs. They are easy to access & integrate into daily habits, require little effort to operate, & have more resistance to disturbance than conventional therapies. However, they are not a replacement for professional mental health treatment. They encourage people to know about health, mood, behavior, & potential trigger points and provide suggestions for healthy options to deal with stress & depressive episodes. All of these factors are contributing significantly to their growing popularity worldwide.

Market Insights

The Global Mental Health Application Market is projected to witness around 31% CAGR during the forecast period, i.e., 2021-26. The growth of the market is likely to be driven primarily by the mounting prevalence of mental disorders, the rising geriatric population, and increasing stress levels in the society due to changing lifestyles & addiction to harmful substances that have degraded health conditions.

Mental apps provide interactive platforms that help psychotherapists, psychiatrists, & clinical psychologists monitor patients' mental well-being. Hence, the burgeoning adoption of these applications by medical professionals globally is also driving the market growth.

Besides, the surging awareness among people about the significance of mental health, the launch of various mental well-being apps, the introduction of major health campaigns to raise awareness regarding mental health, and the growing usage of connected devices across the young population is also promoting the overall market growth. Inappropriate work-life balance & eating habits, hectic schedules, and relationship issues are a few prominent aspects increasing the risk of mental illnesses worldwide.

However, many life insurance providers are also providing their clients with premium subscriptions to top mental fitness apps in line with the primary insurance policy. Moreover, app developers are collaborating with schools & other educational institutes to help students overcome their stress-related issues.

These initiatives & collaborations are anticipated to bring mental well-being exercises, guided meditations, & sleep content to millions of employees, corporate customers, students, & guests worldwide. As a result, it would drive significant growth opportunities for the Global Mental Health Application Market in the coming years.

Impact of Covid-19 on the Global Mental Health Application Market

The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 catastrophically affected most industries worldwide. However, the Global Mental Health Application Market witnessed a significant rise. The pandemic not only led to an increase in downloads for mental health apps but also increased awareness regarding mental health as a serious problem. It, in turn, displayed a substantial growth opportunity for the global mental health application market amidst the crisis since medical practices were under eternal pressure, and healthcare providers needed to rely on efficient health applications for effective patient monitoring & treatment. Hence, the global market witnessed a positive impact of the pandemic, and the same trend is likely to continue in the coming years.

Market Segmentation:

Based on Type:

• Mental Health Disorder Apps
• Substance-use Disorder Apps
• Co-occurring Disorder Apps

Here, the Mental Health Disorder Apps grabbed the majority share in the global market in 2020, mainly due to the increasing instances of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, & other mental health issues, especially across North America, Europe, China, India, etc., coupled with the more general & broader services included in these apps compared to others.

• According to the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) in India, 139,000 individuals had committed suicide in 2019 and most of them were suffering from depression, anxiety, or both.

Moreover, the presence of strong social stigma regarding mental diseases & desires to deal with themselves in some countries like Japan was another crucial reason behind the majority market share of mental health disorder apps.

As per the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, around 47.6 million adults in the United States aged 18 years or above were affected by mental illnesses in 2018.

Moreover, the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 provided more opportunities for mental health apps as various citizens faced high levels of stress & anxiety. Hence, based on these aspects, mental health disorder apps generated significant revenue amidst the pandemic.

On the other hand, the demand for substance-use disorders apps is projected to witness the highest growth rate over the forecast years due to the mounting consumption of addictive substances, especially among young adults. In 2019, around 8.3 million citizens (aged over 12 years) in the US had illicit drug use disorder, and 14.5 million population had alcohol use disorder. As a result, the significantly increasing cases of substance use disorders are expected to provide lucrative opportunities for the leading companies operating in the market in the years to come.

Based on Operating System:

• iOS
• Android

Of both, Android-based mental health apps, followed by iOS-based apps, dominated the Global Mental Health Application Market in the previous few years. It owes to the cost-effective nature of android-based smartphones, i.e., leading to the mounting number of android users, which, in turn, boosted the use of android-based mental health apps. Moreover, the Android operating system also allows other app stores, which further makes it widely acceptable among a vast population.

On the other hand, the demand for iOS-based mental health applications is also growing at a considerable rate. iOS App Store holds more health apps than the Android. With such rapid progress & acceptance of these apps among consumers, the demand for iOS-based mental health apps is projected to notably grow in the coming years.

Regional Landscape:

• North America
• South America
• Europe
• Middle East & Africa
• Asia-Pacific

Of all regions globally, North America dominated the Mental Health Application Market with the largest share in the previous few years, and the same trend is likely in the forecast period. It attributes primarily to the rapidly surging awareness of mental health issues and the abundant availability of major app developers in the region.

Besides, the rising prevalence of mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, etc., has encouraged the adoption of mental health applications in the region.

• According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders affect around 40 million citizens (aged 18 & above) in the United States every year, i.e., 18.1% of the country's total population.

Moreover, the increasing number of suicidal cases across the region is boosting the focus of governments on spreading awareness regarding mental health apps since the depression, substance abuse, etc., are the major causes of suicides among citizens. It is another crucial aspect projected to augment the regional market growth in the coming years.  

Furthermore, the United States registered the highest share in the regional market in 2020. The mounting prevalence of mental health disorders among citizens has encouraged several market leaders in the US to introduce more & more apps, which would help citizens deal with mental health conditions. Around 51.5 million people in the US suffer from mental illnesses like anxiety, major depression, & schizophrenia, states the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). For instance:

• In 2019, Big Health, in collaboration with experts from 'Boston University,' 'The University of California, Los Angeles,' 'The University of Oxford,' & 'The University of Texas, Austin,' launched a mobile app to reduce anxiety in citizens. 

Market Dynamics

Key Driver: Mounting Stress Levels Due to Prolonged Working Hours and Changing Lifestyles

The key factors driving the Global Mental Health Application Market through 2026 are the rapidly increasing stress levels of people due to substance abuse & long working hours, increasing prevalence of mental health disorders, the launch of various awareness programs regarding the importance of mental health, and anytime assistance provided online by these apps.

Moreover, enhancing productivity by ensuring quick patient data access, workflow efficiency, and reducing healthcare costs is another critical aspect likely to drive the global market in the coming years, especially among large hospitals & community clinics.

Possible Restraint: Lack of Transparency & Complex User Interfaces of Mental Health Apps

The primary restraint of the Global Mental Health Application Market is freemium subscriptions offered by a few mental health app developers. Due to this, people utilize apps free of cost for a certain time, and later, they uninstall them, i.e., leading to significant revenue & resources loss for companies.

Moreover, risks of data privacy, coupled with the complex navigation of interfaces, might also lower app downloads gradually over time. It owes to the fact that most members are novices who face issues with app operations & transparency, such as no app guide, limited access, privacy policies, etc.

As a result, companies operating in the mental health app market find it challenging to maintain or draw new customers due to the lack of app transparency. Hence, these aspects might lead to the downfall in mental health app downloads and, in turn, significantly impact the overall market growth in the coming years.

Key Questions Answered in the Market Research Report:

1. What are the overall statistics or estimates (Overview, Size- By Value, Forecast Numbers, Segmentation, Shares) of the Global Mental Health Application Market?
2. What are the region-wise industry size, growth drivers, and challenges?
3. What are the key innovations, opportunities, current & future trends, and regulations in the Global Mental Health Application Market?  
4. Who are the key competitors, their key strengths and weaknesses, and how do they perform in the Global Mental Health Application Market based on the competitive benchmarking matrix?
5. What are the key results derived from surveys conducted during the Global Mental Health Application Market study?

Frequently Asked Questions