Colleges Don’t Know Much About the Mental-Health Apps They’re Buying

College students’ levels of clinically significant mental-health symptoms have doubled during the last decade, with more than 60 percent of students meeting the criteria for one or more psychological problems. Counseling centers have been overwhelmed by demand, and mental-health apps have helped pick up the slack. But how effective are those apps? How many students are using them, and for how long? Good questions — but the answers are scarce. Sarah K. Lipson, an associate professor of health law, policy, and management at Boston University, says there is a remarkable lack of evidence about the use of digital mental-health interventions and their effectiveness.