Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental health disorders. In various settings, patients are using apps for the relief of their symptoms. Digital applications are recommended by international guidelines, but most apps available are not scientifically validated. Little is known about the profile of adult users searching for mental health apps, in the general population. In this study, we propose to identify the user profile of real-world users searching for mental health apps to reduce anxiety. We used the app TUYB Ansiedade® for this study and divided the users in three groups: health professional referral, social network and search engine. We got 453 completed first assessments, indicating that the users that found the app through Social Networks have higher values of anxiety, depression and lower perceived quality of life and resilience.

Our results support the conclusion that users searching and engaging with apps in social networks have a lower mental well-being profile and this should inform app developers, guidelines on app use for mental health and policy makers. The policies regarding Social Networks and app developers should be improved to account for the mental health of their users.