Mobile Apps for OCD Management

Mental health apps are becoming more and more common, and with so many available it can be overwhelming and difficult to know which one to use.

The hope is that these apps can provide accessible and affordable tools to help you manage OCD and related disorders. You can use apps on their own, in a transition to or from face-to-face treatment, or as an add on to therapy you are already receiving. While much more research is needed, some preliminary results have shown that apps may help people manage mental health problems.

That’s why the IOCDF has partnered with One Mind PsyberGuide — a non-profit website reviewing smartphone applications and other digital mental health products. Through this partnership, PsyberGuide and the IOCDF aim to provide you with reviews of apps targeted towards OCD which are free of preference, bias, or endorsement. Read more about this partnership here.

All Reviewed OCD Apps

Below is a list of apps that have been reviewed by One Mind PsyberGuide. You can click on the name for additional information about each app.

App NameCredibility ScoreDate of ReviewUser Experience
GGOC: OCD Relief4.0October 20203.7
nOCD2.67August 20204.74
TalkSpace4.00August 20203.71
Obsessive Compulsive OCD Test0.33August 2020Not available
OCD Anxiety Graph0.33August 2020Not available
OCD Challenge3.18August 2020Not available
Liberate OCD Fighter2.33August 20204.42
BoosterBuddy2.00August 20203.53
MoodTools2.67August 20203.06
Aetheria1.00August 2020Not available
C-CBT ROCD Treatment2.27June, 2022Not Available

How Does PsyberGuide Review Apps?

PsyberGuide rates apps on three metrics: credibility, user experience, and data transparency.

Credibility

The Credibility Score is a measure of the research support and clinical expertise backing an app or digital tool. This measure aims to give users an idea of how likely it is that it will work and lead to mental health benefits. Apps are scored based on things like the level of research support they have, the level of expert clinical input in their development, and how specific the intervention the app proposes is. For a full explanation of these subscales, click here.

Transparency

Transparency scores relate to information regarding an apps’ data storage and collection policies and how readily available this information is to users. We believe that developers should be as transparent as possible with privacy information so that users can be fully informed of how their data is used and stored. For more information, click here.

User Experience

“User Experience”, sometimes referred to as just UX, is the overall experience of using an app or program, in terms of how easy and engaging it is to use. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is used to assess the quality of the user experience of apps. MARS was developed by a team of researchers at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), with expertise in the development of digital health tools. Using MARS, apps are scored based on engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information. Click here for more information on MARS.

How Does PysberGuide Choose Which Apps to Review?

PsyberGuide discovers new apps in a number of different ways, including:

  • Research papers and published reviews of apps
  • Searches on iTunes and Google Play app stores
  • Trending apps on social media and popular news
  • App developers
  • Through our partner organizations & networks

Because they want to review apps that people are actually using, when they identify new apps they use the number of user ratings they have in app stores to prioritize their review. This gives them an idea of the app’s popularity. If you know of an app you would like PsyberGuide to review, you can contact them at info@psyberguide.org .