The App Fills The Gap Caused By A Crisis In Access To Treatment For Canadians

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Healthline Best Apps 2019

VANCOUVER, April 22, 2019 // Anxiety Canada, a world leader delivering evidence-based mental health relief through digital channels, has released MindShift™ CBT for iOS and Android, free to download and use for all Canadians. It employs scientifically proven strategies based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help users learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of their anxiety. 

“There is nothing more pressing than ensuring young people receive all the supports they need when they need them, before their problems become severe,” said Judy Darcy, B.C.’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “This app will help people with mild to moderate anxiety manage their symptoms daily, so they can take action and make lasting positive changes.”

Now more than ever, Canadians are in desperate need of resources like MindShift CBT: 

  • A recent poll of 1,500 Canadians found 41% of those surveyed identified themselves as “someone who struggles with anxiety”.
  • A key finding from the McCreary Centre Society‘s 2018 B.C. Adolescent Health Survey was that “In 2018, 15% of students reported missing classes because of mental-health challenges and 14% said they were too anxious or depressed to participate in extracurricular activities.” 
  • Approximately 70% of serious mental health issues emerge before the age of 25 and research shows that if identified and addressed early, there’s a much higher chance that many challenges won’t be as severe.

MindShift™ CBT is the successor to Anxiety Canada’s MindShift™ app originally released in 2012, which has been downloaded more than 700,000 times to date and is referred by mental health professionals worldwide. The new app has acquired more than 75,000 active users since its launch February 19, 2019. 

A user-friendly self-help tool based on proven scientific strategies, MindShift™ CBT teaches about anxiety, helping users to engage in healthy thinking and to take action. Users check in each day to track their anxiety and work with tools in the app. It was developed in collaboration with Freshworks Studio, an award winning app developer headquartered in BC, with support from the BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and the BC Ministry of Health.

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Anxiety Canada (formerly AnxietyBC) has been serving Canadians for 20 years. Based in Vancouver, BC, our coaching tools, My Anxiety Plans (MAPs) and the MindShift CBT app are widely used nationally by counsellors, educators, individuals and families.