Do online and app-based programs help with body image?

More and more mental health support is offered through apps and online programs. For body-image and related concerns, that raises a fair question: do these tools actually help, and when is a person better served by seeing a clinician?

What our team's research has looked at

Dr Beth O'Gorman's research includes the development and testing of digital mental health programs for body-image and eating concerns, and how involving people with lived experience in the design makes those programs more useful.

What it points to

Digital tools have genuine promise. They can widen access for people who cannot easily get to a clinic, and they can be a low-pressure first step. The research also underlines that quality matters — programs designed carefully, with input from the people who will use them, tend to be more engaging and more helpful than generic ones. For many people, digital support works best alongside, or as a pathway toward, individual therapy rather than as a full replacement.

What this means for you

If you are exploring an app or online program, treat it as one useful option rather than the whole answer. Where body-image distress is entrenched or interfering with daily life, individual assessment and evidence-based therapy are recommended — and we are happy to talk through what would fit.

Reference Jarman, H., McLean, S. A., Rogers, R., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., Paxton, S., O'Gorman, B., et al. (2022). Informing mHealth and web-based eating disorder interventions: combining lived-experience perspectives with design-thinking approaches. JMIR Formative Research, 6(10). https://doi.org/10.2196/38387

Authored by Dr Beth O'Gorman, Clinical Psychologist, The Moore Centre.

This article is general clinical information and does not constitute personal clinical advice. For assessment and treatment, please make an enquiry.