Can the Benefits of Mental Health Apps Be Fully Realised in a Neoliberal Society?

Mental health awareness seems to be everywhere these days, and probably with good reason. The British Medical Association (2023) has identified a steady increase in the prevalence of adult mental disorders between 2000 and 2014, with COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns accelerating this trend – mental health service referrals were up 22% in 2022 compared to 2019. This critical reflection will start by using the theory of the Technological Information Society (Webster, 2014) to explain how the development of new technologies has changed the way people interact with each other and the social world, before then going on to discuss self-surveillance in the form of mental health tracking through apps and the benefits people can gain from this practice. Finally, it will situate the use of these apps within a neoliberal society to question the limits of placing responsibility for monitoring and treatment of mental health problems on the individual without also examining the social and cultural context in which mental health problems are experienced.