Top 5 Mental Health Apps To Get You Through The Holiday Season
App Reviews /
Insight Timer Review
Credibility
2.50 / 5.00
Expand Credibility Review Detailsfor
Insight Timer
Research base 0/3
Research support 0/2
Specificity of proposed intervention 2/3
Number of consumer ratings 3/3
Product advisory support 0/1
Software support 2/2
Total 7/14
date of rating: September 2017
Learn more about the Credibility Rating
User Experience
3.70 / 5.00
Expand Details
Engagement: 4.20 Functionality: 4.25 Aesthetics: 3.33 Information: 3 Subjective quality score: 2.50 Perceived impact score: 2.92 Rating date: February 2018 Rated by: Queensland University
Learn More about the User Experience Rating
Transparency
Unacceptable
Expand Details
Overall Score: Unacceptable
Does the app have a privacy policy?:Yes
Does the privacy policy describe the information storage and sharing procedures related to user entered information, OR state that user information is stored locally?:Yes
Does the privacy policy state that the app/server encrypts/de-identifies the entered data OR state that user information is stored locally?:No/Can’t Tell
Does the app provide the option of a pin entry or log-in process to view and enter user data?:Yes
Does the privacy policy state whether or not users can use the app WITHOUT entering identifiable information, OR state that user information is stored locally?:No/Can’t Tell
Does the privacy policy state whether or not users can delete entered information OR state that user information is stored locally?:No/Can’t Tell
Does the privacy policy state whether or not users can edit entered information OR state that user information is stored locally?:No/Can’t Tell
No Professional Review Available
Insight Timer is a meditation app with over 6,000 available meditations, which can be filtered based on various criteria, e.g. meditation type and topic, popularity, age, etc. While the app can be used without creating an account, users can create an account to connect with friends, track progress and bookmark meditations. In the profile section of the app, users can track their progress, for example the number of consecutive days spent meditating. In the home section, the number of users currently meditating using Insight Timer is shown and users can see activity of friends who they have connected with on the app. Personalized meditation tracks can be created by customizing the background ambient sound, bells, etc. Discussion forums can also be accessed via the app. The app is free but there are in-app purchases; additional background sounds and bells for customized meditations must be purchased.
Technical Details
Available for: iOS 9.0 or later (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch),Android 4.0 (e.g. 2.3)
Developer: Insight Network Inc.
Type of Treatment: Mindfulness
Targeted Conditions: Stress & Anxiety
Target Audience: Not specified
Designed to be used in conjunction with a healthcare professional: No
Languages Available: App in English; meditations available in various languages
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
Get it on: iTunes, Google Play
Research on this App
Practice of mindfulness meditation is associated with decreased stress in an in-person context, as demonstrated by a randomized control trial of 83 students reporting distress (average age 25 years; 16 men and 67 women) (Jain et al., 2007). The effects of a 1-month mindfulness meditation (consisting of four 1.5 hour in-person sessions) versus somatic relaxation training were compared to a control group. Both meditation and relaxation groups experienced significant decreases in distress and increases in positive mood states over time, compared with the control group. The meditation group showed a larger effect size for positive states of mind than relaxation, and demonstrated significant decreases in both distractive and ruminative thoughts/behaviors compared with the control group.
MIndfulness meditation practice also shows promising results in an online context. In an RCT (Cavanagh et al., 2013), 104 students (age range 19-51 years) were randomly allocated to a wait-list control or to a two-week, self-guided, online, mindfulness-based intervention, which included an invitation to daily mindfulness meditation practice. Immediately following the two-week program, the treatment group showed reduced stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression, with small to medium magnitudes of effect in intention to treat analysis. A strong association was found between improvements in mindfulness and reductions in self-reported stress and anxiety/depression.
- Cavanagh, K., Strauss, C., Cicconi, F., Griffiths, N., Wyper, A., & Jones, F. (2013). A randomised controlled trial of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention. Behaviour
Research and Therapy, 51(9),
573–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2013.06.003 - Grossman P, Niemann L, Schmidt S, Walach H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits. A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57, 35 – 43.
- Jain, S., Shapiro, S. L., Swanick, S., Roesch, S. C., Mills, P. J., Bell, I., & Schwartz, G. E. R. (2007). A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 33(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15324796abm3301_2
