Ap Review: Combined Minds

I previously wrote about Calm Harm, an ap designed to help people through urges to self-harm and teach mindfulness and coping skills. The creators of Calm Harm have created another ap called Combined Minds, which aims to offer support to people who care for someone with a mental illness.

Lots of aps exist to help people living with mental illness, and plenty of literature exists about coping skills and reaching out for support. But often times people who want to support a loved one find themselves at a loss. They might ask the loved one, “What can I do to help?”

Although well-intentioned, this puts it on the person struggling to decide what they need and ask for it specifically. Yes, that is a good skill to develop, but sometimes people need someone to offer specific help rather than simply asking what that help ought to be.

Combined Minds provides education about mental illness as well as resources for support and specific things that you can do in the moment if your loved one is having a hard time. It walks you through creating and following through with a safety plan and gives information about setting healthy and appropriate boundaries.

Although friends and family are not a substitute for professional support (even I can’t treat my own loved ones despite my license), this ap can help you understand what your loved one is going through and give you specific, concrete tips for walking with them on their mental health journey.