Am I? Behavioural Experiment

Negative emotions usually come with negative thoughts. Often when you are depressed or anxious, your thoughts can become too negative and stop matching the reality of the situation. It’s like you are looking at everything through negative lenses.

One way to improve your mood or anxiety is to look at your thoughts and test whether they are realistic by looking at evidence for and against them. To do this, the app will help you identify a negative thought you have and the situation in which it may come up. You can then use the app to design an experiment (called a behavioural experiment) to test out your thoughts and make hypotheses or predictions about what you expect to happen. Once you carry out the experiment, you can use the app to collect and record the data. Finally, you can compare the actual results with your predictions. Was there any evidence for your negative thoughts?

Behavioural experiments are often used in cognitive-behavioural therapy, a type of talking therapy that has been shown to be helpful for issues such as depression and anxiety. Designed by mental health professionals, the “Behavioural Experiment Worksheet” app can be used by people on their own or who are already in therapy.

This app:

• Was designed for youth 12-18 years old, with the input of youth
• Does not collect personal information, with all the information you provide stored locally on your device

Please be aware that:

• You may want to consider password protecting your device to keep your information private
• This app and its contents are designed for information purposes only and cannot be used to diagnose or treat depression or other mental health problems
• This app is not a substitute for professional mental health care or emergency services

The Am I? Series was created by Dr. Julie Eichstedt, Dr. Devita Singh, and Dr. Kerry Collins, clinical psychologists with many years of experience in child and adolescent mental health, in collaboration with mindyourmind and input from youth volunteers. It was programmed and designed by Red Square Labs, with support from the Children's Health Foundation, and its donors, including the John and Jean Wettlaufer Family.