UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has created a curated database of government-approved mobile health apps, starting in the area of mental health.

Right now, the library counts just five apps but chances are the number will grow in the months to come. The five vetted online resources include Beating the Blues, Big White Wall, FearFighter, Ieso Digital Health, and SilverCloud, all of which are briefly described on the NHS Choices website, which gets some 40 million visits per month.

NHS began publicly evaluating mental health apps back in February 2013, when they published a discussion paper on the subject.

NHS chose mental health to start because of a large base of evidence that these interventions are effective.“We want to offer people the chance to use apps and digital tools routinely to help them take control of their own healthcare,” Tim Kelsey, the National Director for Patients and Information, said in a statement. “There are online services already working for patients and we hope, by giving them our official backing, we will give clinicians, citizens and carers the confidence to use them.”

NHS chose mental health to start because of a large base of evidence that these interventions are effective, they said.

“There is £1.25 billion in this year’s budget for children’s mental health, increased investment to help support veterans and new initiatives to help people on benefits get back into work,” Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said in a statement. “This showcases the NHS at its best – pioneering new ways of treating and supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society, harnessing innovative technology to help build a fairer society for us all.”

[Via: mobihealthnews]