Lee Valentine

Abstract Despite mental health apps having a rigorous evidence base, little is known about the proportion of efficacious apps that are publicly available. Our systematic review and meta-analysis identified self-guided mental health apps evaluated in controlled trials, determined their public availability, and examined how evidence quality and strength influence availability. A literature search identified 16,971 records, of which 110 studies, investigating 112 apps, met inclusion criteria.

Mental health challenges are on the rise globally, with no reduction in prevalence over the past 30 years (GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2022). Existing mental health services are struggling to keep up with the growing demand for treatment, leaving a significant gap between those in need and available support (McGorry, 2022).

Introduction Research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental health crisis across many countries, including the United Kingdom (UK) (1). Furthermore, there is a growing body of evidence highlighting effects of the pandemic and consequent lockdowns on children and young people’s (CYP) mental health (2–4). At the same time, contacts and interactions with all types of healthcare services reduced dramatically during the pandemic (5).