ReviewBJPsych international2025
Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions.
Review in BJPsych international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Evaluating Characteristics and Quality of Mental Health Apps Available in App Stores for Indian Users: Systematic App Search and Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Pooled it
- Benchmarking Large Language Models Against Psychiatry Residents Using Traditional Institutional Assessments.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2026Article
- Co-Designed Mental Health Screening App (Here for You) for University Students: Pilot Feasibility Mixed Methods Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Technology for Mental Health: Reflections on Scope and Future Directions in Institutes of Higher Education in India.Online journal of public health informatics · 2025Article
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023: Implications for Mental Healthcare Practice in India.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2025Article
- Mental Health Apps Available in App Stores for Indian Users: Protocol for a Systematic Review.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mental health apps (MHAs) are increasingly popular in India due to rising mental health awareness and app accessibility. Despite their benefits, like mood tracking, sleep tools and virtual therapy, MHAs lack regulatory oversight. India's framework, including the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and Medical Device Rules 2017, does not cover standalone health apps, raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy. Establishing a centralised regulatory body with guidelines for MHAs is essential for user safety and efficacy. This paper examines the current regulatory landscape, compares international approaches and proposes a tiered regulatory framework to foster responsible innovation while safeguarding user interests in digital mental health services.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.