There are a huge number of mental health resources available online whether you’re looking for websites or apps. Many of them are free, and many of them are high quality, but sometimes the biggest challenge can be finding what’s most useful and relevant to you. This mental health resource directory pulls together some of the best that I’ve come across. Please let me know what your favourites are, and what I should add to the list.
You might also find the following resources on MH@H helpful:
- COVID-19/mental health coping toolkit: self-help resources, including workbooks & worksheets based on CBT, DBT, and more
- Straight Talk on Suicide: this page has suicide crisis resource info
- The Download Centre: mini-ebooks, guided journals, and other downloadable resources
- The Psychology Corner: includes a collection of scientifically validated psychological tests
- Understanding Mental Health Provider Credentials: You’re looking for a therapist, and they’ve got various initials after their names — what do they mean?
- Ways to share your MH story: list of mental health sites that accept guest submissions
Mental Health Resource Directory Overview
- Mental Health Websites
- Clinical Trials
- Mental Health Apps
- Wellness & Mindfulness Resources | meditation apps
- Learn New Things: mental health courses & learning modules | continuing medical education courses | general courses | brain training apps
Mental Health Websites
- Healthy Place: has a broad range of mental health info; founded by mental health advocate Natasha Tracy
- HelpGuide: an ad-free site operated by a non-profit organization dedicated to a woman who lost her life by suicide
- Here to Help [Canada]: mental health info, workbooks, wellness modules, and family resource, as well as a toolkit on dealing with psychosis
- Jed Foundation: youth mental health
- Mental Health America: has info on mental health conditions, screening tools, and other mental health-related tools
- Mental Health First Aid: US | Canada | UK
- Mental Health Foundation [UK]: info on a wide range of conditions
- Merck Manual: info about mental disorders and treatment options
- Mind [UK]: info on a wide range of conditions
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) [US]: a wide range of resources
- PositivePsychology.com: info on a variety of mental illnesses and psychology topics, as well as therapy-related resources
- Psych Central: covers a broad spectrum of mental health and psychology topics
- PsychReg: has articles on mental health by professionals as well as personal mental health stories
- Rethink Mental Illness [UK]: info on a wide range of conditions
- SANE [UK]: info on a wide range of conditions
- The Mighty: an online community for people with mental illness and other chronic illnesses
Medications
- Epocrates: this app is targeted at health professionals, so it uses technical terminology, but it’s an information goldmine
- Medline Plus: operated by the National Library of Medicine
- NAMI: medication info and tips on getting help paying for medications (in the US)
- National Institute of Mental Health Mental health medications booklet (from 2008, but it still gives a good overview)
- RxList.com: gives details on how often side effects occur with drug vs. placebo
Professional/Government Sites
- American Psychiatric Association: has info about various psychiatric disorders that’s geared towards patients and families
- SMI Advisor: has information specific to serious mental illness (SMI), which generally includes psychotic and mood disorders
- Massachusetts General Hospital: webinars aimed at patients and families on topics including depression, psychotherapy, and schizophrenia
- Mentalhealth.gov: contains a collection of mental health information from agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Heallh Services Administration (SAMHSA), and Youth.gov
- NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health): general mental health info
- Royal College of Psychiatrists [UK]: info on mental health conditions
Specific Disorders
Anxiety, Depression, & Bipolar
These disorders are listed here together because many of the resources overlap across them.
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
- Anxiety Canada
- Beyond Blue [Australia]: anxiety, depression and suicide prevention resources
- A Guide to What Works for Anxiety: An Evidence-Based Review
- A Guide to What Works for Depression: An Evidence-Based Review
- Bipolar Wellness Centre [Canada]: focused on quality of life
- Black Dog Institute [Australia]
- Choice-D Patient and Family Guide: this guide from a Canadian charity/research group partnership covers meds, psychotherapy, neurostimulation, and complementary and alternative health treatment options
- DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance): includes info on peer support groups
- Dealing with Depression: aimed at youth; website is based on the Dealing with Depression: Antidepressant Skills for Teens workbook
- Blurt: a UK-based social enterprise supporting people with depression
- Heads Up Guys: a depression resource for men
- International Bipolar Foundation and their Healthy Living with Bipolar Disorder guide
- Mood Disorders Society of Canada: also runs the Depression Hurts site
Borderline Personality Disorder
- Australian BPD Foundation
- BPDWorld
- Emotions Matter
- NEABPD (National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder)
- NEABPD Australia
Eating Disorders
- Beat [UK]
- CBT for ARFID workbook
- Eating Disorders Victoria [Australia]
- National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) [US]
- National Eating Disorders Association [US]
- National Eating Disorders Information Centre (NEDIC) [Canada]
- Self-Help Manual for Bulimia Nervosa from The Cullen Centre
Postpartum/Maternal Mental Health
- Coping with depression during pregnancy and following the birth from BC Reproductive Mental Health Program
- Gaining control of your life with a baby from 2gether/NHS
- Maternal Mental Health Alliance
Psychotic Disorders
- EarlyPsychosis.ca
- Hearing Voices Network
- Living with Schizophrenia [UK]
- Psychosis Australia Trust
- Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance [US]
- Schizophrenia Society of Canada: support for people with psychosis and their families
Self-Harm/Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
- Cornell University self-injury & recovery resources
- National Self-Harm Network (NHSN): resources include lists of distractions and harm reduction publications The hurt yourself less workbook and Cutting the risk
- Selfharm.co.uk
- Self-Injury Outreach and Support (SiOS) [Canada]
- Shedding Light on Self–Injury [Australia]
Substance Use Disorders
- Recover Together by Google: a substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery resource
- SMART recovery: mutual support based on rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)
Trauma-Related Disorders
- Beauty After Bruises [US}: complex PTSD
- Blue Knot Foundation [Australia]: complex trauma
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Adverse childhood experiences
- CPTSD Foundation: has safe support groups
- National Center for PTSD
- National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM)
- Out of the Storm: peer support for C-PTSD due to relational trauma
- Phoenix Australia
- PTSD Association of Canada
- PTSD UK
- 1in6.org: support for male survivors of sexual abuse
Clinical Trials
Research findings drive innovation and evidence-based practice. If you’re interested in being a participant in clinical trials, you can find available opportunities here:
- Be Part of Research: this site from the National Institute for Health Research has info about clinical trials in the UK
- CenterWatch: worldwide clinical trials listings
- Clinical Trials Ontario: info for Ontario as well as other Canadian provinces
- ClinicalTrials.gov: this American site has info on trials going on around the world
- MQ: Transforming Mental Health Through Research
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): has details on clinical trials related to mental health that are recruiting participants
These mental health apps are either free or have a substantial amount of free content in addition to premium content. They’re available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play unless otherwise specified.
ACT Coach: acceptance and commitment therapy-based info & tools
Calm Harm: 5-15 minute strategies to help ride out self-harm urges
CBT-i Coach: CBT for insomnia tools (Insomnia Coach app also available)
Done: A Simple Habit Tracker (App Store): monitor healthy habits
Happify: build skills along chosen wellness tracks
Me v. PMDD: track PMDD symptoms
Moodnotes: track your mood and the factors that influence it
PHQ-9: track your depression symptoms using the PHQ-9 test
Remente: goal setting, balancing different life areas, mood tracking
Rootd: panic attack and anxiety management
Therachat: tracking tools and journalling
What’s up – A Mental Health App: info, tracking tools, coping strategies
Youper: an “emotional health assistant” using AI technology
ACT Companion: acceptance and commitment therapy app to accompany The Happiness Trap
Calm in the Storm (App Store): stress management & safety plan tools
Clear Fear: anxiety tracker and CBT tools
eMoods: a mood tracker for bipolar disorder
Health Storylines: track moods, symptoms, and meds
MindShift: CBT thought tools, relaxation strategies, and coping activities
Moodtools: a CBT app for depression
Pixels (Google Play): track thoughts & emotions to see patterns
Quirk: CBT tool to examine thoughts and identify cognitive distortions
SAM self-help app for the mind: tracking tools, anxiety coping strategies
TruReach: CBT audio lessons
Woebot: a chatbot that helps with mood tracking and CBT exercises
Bearable: mood and symptom tracker
Catch It: mood tracking app from the NHS
Daylio: mood and habit tracker, with room for diary entries
FearTools: CBT tools for managing anxiety
InnerHour: self-help for anxiety & depression
Moodfit: mindfulness, breathing exercises, factor tracking (e.g. mood, sleep)
nOCD: (App Store): OCD self-help based on exposure and response prevention
PTSD Coach: tools for managing PTSD symptoms
Recovery Record Eating Disorder Management: food logs, meal planning, and coping skills tips
Sanvello: mood tracking, CBT tools, guided meditations
Up! (Google Play): bipolar mood tracker
Wysa: AI chat and self-help exercises
Wellness & Mindfulness Resources
Mindfulness sites:
- Guided self-compassion meditations from Dr. Kristin Neff
- Mindfulness Exercises
- Mindful magazine
- The Free Mindfulness Project
- UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
Mindfulness/meditation apps:
Wellness resources:
- Action For Happiness: Ten Keys For Happier Living guidebook and monthly calendars suggesting wellness-promoting activities for each day of the month
- Greater Good Magazine: this site from UC Berkeley has a variety of articles and quizzes related to different aspects of wellbeing
- Here to Help: this Canadian site has a variety of wellness modules
- National Institutes of Health: Emotional Wellness Toolkit
- Passion Planner: downloadable journal pages
- Recovery College from Canadian Mental Health Association – Calgary: offers free courses led by peer support workers on a variety of topics related to recovery
Learn New Things
Learning new things gives you something purposeful to do, but it’s also the mental equivalent of physical exercise, helping your brain to build new neural connections. Neuroplasticity is a wonderful thing.
Mental Health Courses and Learning Modules
These courses are aimed at general audiences and people living with mental illness.
- Alison: Diploma in Mental Health
- Canadian Mental Health Association: Recovery College courses
- Centre for Addiction and. Mental Health (CAMH): Mental Health 101 series
- edX: ‘Talk to me’: Improving mental health and suicide prevention in young adults
- Feeling Good from Dr. David Burns: Defeat Depression and Anxiety email courses
- OpenLearn: Challenging ideas in mental health
- Peer Recovery Center of Excellence: webinars related to peer support
Continuing Medical Education & Other Mental Health CE
These free continuing education resources are intended for mental health professionals. For suicide-related CE, visit the Straight Talk on Suicide page.
- American Psychiatric Association Learning Center
- CDC: Provider Education for Mental Health Care of Cancer Survivors
- Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Equity: webinars on LGBTQ+ mental health topics
- Global Medical Education (GME): courses primarily focused on psychopharmacology and mood disorders
- International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) webinars
- MD Briefcase: Inadequate Response in Major Depressive Disorder: Optimizing Outcomes with Adjunctive Antipsychotic Therapy
- Medical University of South Carolina: training focused on PTSD in veterans
- Medscape Psychiatry
- National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center: behavioural health learning resources
- PCSS (Providers Clinical Support Systems): a wide variety of courses on substance use disorders
- SMI Advisor: on-demand learning activities related to serious mental illness
- VA National Center for PTSD: a wide selection of courses related to PTSD
General Courses
Public libraries sometimes offer access to free learning programs, so have a look to see what yours has to offer.
- Academic courses:
- Non-academic: