Quality Assessment of Self-Directed Software and Mobile Applications for the Treatment of Mental Illness

As interest and use of behavioral health mobile-based applications (apps) continues to expand, there remains a lack of consensus on how to determine whether apps are effective and safe. In this article, we offer a nonexhaustive narrative review of current and past app quality assessment efforts within different environments: academic groups, government agencies, independent nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, and professional societies. We explore the benefits and limitations of these many efforts to rate behavioral health apps and discuss the next steps for the field in creating more advanced, rigorous, and inclusive quality measures for apps. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2016;46(10):579–583.]