Mental Health Aps

CNET.COM published a list of the Best Mental Health Apps of 2025.

NOTE: Not all of these apps are free. This list does not imply endorsement.

Best online therapy apps - Talkspace

Best meditation mental health app - Calm (FREE)

Best app to combat negative thinking - Moodfit

Best mental health app to boost your mood - Happify

Best mental health app for anxiety - MindShift CBT - (FREE)

* * * * *

BEST FREE MENTAL HEALTH APPS (From sources across the web)

Calm
MindShift CBT - Anxiety Relief
Happify
PTSD Coach
Sanvello
Insight Timer - Meditation
Smiling Mind
Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame Street
CBT-i Coach
Fabulous
I Am Sober
Managing Your Stress and Anxiety
NOCD
QuitNow
Better Help - Therapy
Youper - CBT Therapy Chatbot

Sometimes you just have to order pizza – all major food groups and deliciousness with no cooking, no clean up, and no guilt.

Get help.

Thanks to Shakespeare, March 15 is well known as the Ides of March (he didn't create that term). In his play "Julius Caesar" a soothsayer warns Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March!" March 15 was the day that Caesar was assassinated by people who were his closest friends and colleagues. Yikes!

Now, I don't promote paranoia. Trust no one? I love the X-Files, but that's kind of bleak. And most importantly it doesn't serve you very well.

Who can you trust? Find someone with no history with you and no preconceived notions of who you are. Someone objective. Someone trained to objectively listen to you and guide you. 

Here's list of 5 ideas to get you started -- but there are so many more resources to get help.

        * Your family doctor can always refer you for the appropriate counseling.

* Your school guidance counselor has a comprehensive list of help in your area.

* Any church, synagogue or place of spiritual observation. The doors are always open to places of worship, and no matter what you believe or if you are a non-believer, there are people there trained to listen who have a lot of community resources to refer you to.

* Crisis hotlines are available for most issues. The people who answer are trained, experienced and compassionate.

* Support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (and many others) offer help from your peers -- people who have some of the same issues you do and can simply listen and offer nonjudgmental support. 

Most importantly, please get help if you need help.

A Personal Note

For years "It's not a tumor!" -- a line Arnold Schwarzenegger said in "Kindergarten Cop" -- was my go-to joke. I said it all the time. Seriously, people got a bit annoyed with my lame humor (and terrible Arnold impression).

In 2020 -- the perfect year for it -- I found out it WAS, in fact, a tumor. I was diagnosed with a very large (2" diameter) tumor right in the middle of my brain. The middle front-to-back, top-to-bottom and side-to-side. Just sitting there growing and putting increasing pressure on the rest of the brain. 

It was benign, thank all deities, and I had successful surgery to remove it on my birthday. A rebirth for me.

So, first of all -- 2020 sucked.

Second -- my 2020 was pretty lucky, after all, as the tumor that eventually would have killed me was finally discovered and removed.

Third -- you really, really, really, really should not self-diagnose or self-treat.

This website is written by a layperson, but even if I was an eminent research biologist or renowned psychologist, the advice would be the same. See a doctor. In person. Right now. 

If you are depressed or have ANY symptoms, frankly, see a doctor and get a thorough check-up. Doctors are pretty smart. A fantastic G.P. knew the first time we talked that I needed an MRI. 

Get help.

They Say Happiness is the Best Revenge

There Are So Many TED Talks About Depression...

"I'm Fine" - Learning to Live with Depression – Jake Tyler – TEDxBrighton”

“Depression is huge. It's the biggest, most inclusive club in the world. Anyone can join. It's evolving all the time. But its biggest trick is convincing everyone who's part of that club that they're the only member. Isn't that clever?”

An endearing and inspiring TEDTalk.

Read something that once made you feel really great. Maybe it will again!

It could be a children's book, a sci-fi classic, or a biography of one of your heroines.

Escape to a familiar and comforting world, and recreate the incredible feelings that this favorite once inspired.

A Little Help From Your Friends...

 Sound Advice 

(not my creation - no attribution found)

Tip of the Day 

Sit in the sun. From healthline.com:

“Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused...

“Without enough sun exposure, your serotonin levels can dip. Low levels of serotonin are associated with a higher risk of major depression with seasonal pattern (formerly known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD). This is a form of depression triggered by the changing seasons.”