Arabic Mental Health Apps: A Narrative Review of Therapeutic and Engagement Features

Mental health disorders constitute a significant global health burden, with stigma creating additional barriers to care in the Middle East. Mobile health technologies present potential solutions, yet their implementation in Arab countries remains largely unexplored. This narrative review examines the current landscape of Arabic mental health mobile applications as an emerging solution to these barriers. Through a comprehensive analysis of literature, we evaluate the therapeutic and engagement features of existing Arabic mental health apps, comparing them with well-documented Western platforms. While these apps show potential for improving healthcare accessibility and reducing stigma, they lack essential features for effective mental health support. Our findings revealed minimal implementation of engagement features, particularly in visualization, gamification, and social networking capabilities. Similarly, therapeutic features showed limited customization options and insufficient integration of evidence-based interventions. This review concludes that future development of Arabic mental health apps requires collaborative efforts between healthcare professionals, policymakers, and developers to create culturally sensitive, evidence-based digital solutions that effectively serve Arab populations.