MindNotes from NIMHANS

MindNotes from NIMHANS is a free mental health app developed to help individuals who may be experiencing distress or common mental health concerns but are unsure about seeking professional help.

It has been developed by a team of mental health professionals and public health experts at NIMHANS in collaboration with the International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru, and funding support from Microsoft India.

1. Have you been feeling sad, anxious, or emotionally disturbed for some time?

2. Have you been wondering whether you have a common mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety, and whether you need to consult a mental health professional to check it out?

3. Are you hesitant to reach out to a professional due to concerns about what it might mean to you or others, or do you have doubts about whether you really need to consult someone?

4. Do you wish to explore a few strategies for managing emotions and distress, as a supplement to professional care or as a first line of basic self-help?

5. Are you looking to further improve your psychological and emotional well-being, even though everything seems to be going fine right now?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, MindNotes from NIMHANS might help you.

MindNotes from NIMHANS is a free mental health app that helps you navigate your mental wellness journey by enhancing self-awareness and gaining clarity about the nature of your common mental health concerns. It helps you recognise and deal with barriers that prevent you from seeking help and build your self-help toolkit along the way.

MindNotes contains six core sections:

Self-discovery

Read illustrated cases of individuals facing common mental health problems (depression/anxiety) to get a clearer understanding of your own experiences.
Take short quizzes to systematically self-reflect on the nature of your distress.
Respond to standardized self-rated questionnaires for an objective assessment of moods and functioning.
Get personalized recommendations based on the above for the next steps you want to take.

Breaking Barriers

Discover what stops you from reaching out for help on mental health issues.
Engage in brief within-app activities to gain new perspectives and overcome barriers to seeking help and feeling better emotionally.
Watch brief, inspiring videos of clients and professionals.

Self-Help

Strengthen and use self-help strategies to manage emotions and cope with distress.
Apply what you learn by using practice subsections.
The self-help section contains seven modules that you can choose from: Managing Self-Criticality, Mastering Worry, Behavioural Activation, Calming & Soothing, Managing Negative Thoughts, Mastering Anger, and Managing Social Anxiety.

Coping with Crisis

Understand and recognise the features of psychological crisis states.
Create your own Crisis Response Plan in advance as a reminder tool.
Access a directory of helpline numbers in times of need.

Professional Connect

Connect with mental health professionals through text messages or audio messages and clarify your doubts about seeking professional help.

Little Acts that Count

Choose up to five activities every month and practice them to boost your well-being.

Note: MindNotes is not a diagnostic tool for mental health concerns or a substitute for consultation with a mental health professional or for psychotherapy. Its scope is limited to common mental health concerns. We recommend you consult a mental health professional for evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment needs if you think you may be experiencing a mental health problem.

The findings from a preliminary study support the usability, potential usefulness, and acceptability of MindNotes, a multi-module mental health app for common mental health concerns developed for Indian users. Read the Study here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40206925/