What is Depressed Mood?
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Apart of Me is designed for adolescents dealing with bereavement. Apart of Me uses gamification to deliver lessons and advice to its users. One of the game is The Cave which is an in-game location where users can go to listen to other people’s stories. The recorded stories are designed to be relatable to the users situation and are recorded by people who have gone through similar events. Users gain more stories in The Cave as they explore the island and find more stories. Each recording in The Cave is roughly one minute long and covers things such as The Person, The Heart of the Story, The Challenge, Helpers, Special Object, The Lesson, and Unsaid. Another key feature of the app is The Rockpool. The Rockpool uses a breathing exercise to help users become more mindful. By pressing on the screen as they breathe in and releasing from the screen as they breathe out, users develop a breathing pattern. Other features in the game include The Guide’s Hut, Quests, Emotional Check In, The Fireflies, and Message in a bottle.
Available for: iPhone Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Android 4.4 and up
Developer: Apart of Me
Type of Treatment: Mindfulness, Psychoeducation & Information
Targeted Conditions: Mood Disorders, Stress and Anxiety
Target Audience: Children, Adolescents
Designed to be used in conjunction with a professional? No
Languages Available: English
Cost: Free
Get it on: Apple App Store, Google Play, Web
A 2019 study conducted nine, one hour interviews with adolescents between the age of 10-17. Additional feedback was taken from a younger participants through email. The study aimed to discover how young people felt about Apart of Me and its effectiveness. According to the study, the overall response was positive. For users under the age of 13 the app was found to be a difficult to comprehend and users preferred to just explore rather than complete the interactive content. Users between 13 and 16 found the content and the gameplay to be at the correct level. Finally, users older than 16 found the gameplay to be too childish for their age and situation. Another finding was that most users reported they found the app unnecessary after two years of bereavement. (King et al., 2019 https://www.apartofme.app/docs/ApartOfMeQualEvaluationReport-4673ff01c3c9bd400834bdc28cc4b80f.pdfhttps://www.apartofme.app/docs/ApartOfMeQualEvaluationReport-4673ff01c3c9bd400834bdc28cc4b80f.pdf)
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