Our approach and evidence

This page explains the thinking behind Mind Guard 365, what our features are based on, the recognised UK and US sources we draw on, how we learn from the people who use the app and, just as importantly, what we do not claim.

Evidence-informed, not clinically validated

Mind Guard 365 is evidence-informed. Our tools draw on widely used, well-documented self-help and psychoeducation approaches. We do not claim that the app itself is clinically validated or proven to treat any condition, and we will only describe a feature as supported by specific evidence where that evidence genuinely exists.

What our features are based on

• Mood check-ins: self-monitoring and reflection are common, low-risk ways for people to notice patterns in how they feel over time.
• Breathing and grounding: simple breathing and grounding exercises are widely used self-regulation techniques that can help people steady a difficult moment.
• CBT-style reflections: our guided reflections are inspired by cognitive behavioural self-help ideas, such as noticing thoughts and considering other perspectives. They are educational, not a course of therapy.
• Habit and routine support: small, repeatable actions and gentle reminders draw on everyday behaviour-change and habit-formation ideas.
• Psychoeducation: short lessons help people understand wellbeing concepts in plain language.

Recognised sources we draw on

Mind Guard 365 is a self-help app. Every tool in the app maps to a self-help technique with an established public evidence base. We do not claim the app itself has been independently validated to produce a clinical outcome, and we do not claim endorsement by any of the organisations below. We cite them because they are recognised public bodies in the UK or US whose public-facing guidance and educational material sits behind the techniques we use.

United Kingdom

• NHS mental health self-help pages, including advice on NHS self-help for common mental health difficulties (anxiety, low mood, sleep, breathing, grounding).
• NHS Inform (Scotland) public guidance on mental wellbeing including breathing, relaxation and thinking-style resources.
• NICE public information on common mental health conditions, including NG222 (depression in adults) and CG113 (generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder), which recognise low-intensity self-help and psychoeducation as first-line supports.
• Mind psychoeducation, for example Mind information and support for plain-language explanations of anxiety, low mood, sleep and coping strategies.

United States

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) public information on mental health topics including anxiety, depression and sleep.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) mental health resources and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mental health resources on stress, sleep and coping.
• American Psychological Association (APA) public education, for example APA topics: stress and APA topics: anxiety.

Which techniques map to which sources

A short indicative mapping so you can see how the app's tools sit against public guidance. This is not an endorsement claim; it is a public summary of the technique category and the recognised body whose public-facing material addresses it.

For a deeper technique-by-technique review of the academic and clinical literature behind each tool and programme, an assessor-facing document is available on request from the operator.

Behavioural change technique references

Our tools use recognised behavioural change techniques (BCTs) such as self-monitoring, feedback, goal-setting, prompts and cues, values and small habit steps. These are drawn from Michie et al.'s BCT taxonomy v1 and used inside a psychoeducational, self-help framing. The public evidence reviews we lean on for these techniques include:

• NICE evidence reviews supporting NG222 (depression in adults), which recognise guided self-help, psychoeducation and behavioural activation as low-intensity supports.
• NICE evidence reviews supporting CG113 (generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults), which recognise CBT-style self-help and psychoeducation as first-line supports for mild-to-moderate symptoms.
• Cochrane reviews on psychological therapies for common mental health difficulties, for example the Cochrane Library mental health topic, which document the evidence base for CBT, behavioural activation, mindfulness and relaxation approaches.
• NICE public health guidance on behavioural change, for example PH49 (behaviour change: individual approaches), which describes the recognised BCT set we draw on.

Citing these reviews describes the evidence base for the underlying techniques. It is not a claim that the Mind Guard 365 app has been independently assessed against any of those reviews.

How we learn from the people who use it

Mind Guard 365 is built with, and improved because of, the people who use it. This section explains where our feedback comes from, how we decide what to change and how we record what shipped as a result.

Where feedback comes from

• In-app "Send feedback". Available from Settings, About and Support. People can send general, bug or idea feedback in a few taps. Submissions are reviewed by the operator in an admin dashboard.
• Direct email. People can email us any time at privacy@mindguard365.com.
• Aggregate, anonymous usage insights. Which features are opened or completed, so we can see where flows are working and where they are being abandoned. No journal text, mood values or tag content is included in analytics.
• Crash reports. Reliability problems surface through Sentry with wellbeing content scrubbed before events are sent.
• Structured user tests. Ad hoc tests on new flows with people in our early-access group.

How we decide what to change

1. Collect feedback and group it into themes.
2. Prioritise by user impact, safety, accessibility and effort.
3. Decide: do now, backlog or decline with a reason.
4. Ship the change and record it in the release notes for that version.

What people told us

These short comments come from people who used the in-app feedback channel. We publish first names only, with no surnames, employers or other identifying detail.

• "Daily check-ins are easy and don't feel invasive. I can see trends in mood improvement from the tags." - Beth
• "CBT tools are great. I like the reframing thoughts tool." - Georgia
• "Box breathing is good for my anxiety." - Sean
• "I like that I don't feel nagged to use the app." - Kirsten
• "Body scan tool is good for making me focus on what I'm feeling." - Alec
• "I like the number of check-ins throughout the day, it helps me notice changes in my mood." - Andy
• "The breathing tools work great for relaxing me and my partner." - Laura
• "Simple to get started and the check-in felt quick without being pushy." - Alec
• "Helpful for pausing and checking in with how I am actually feeling." - Ryan
• "Layout is clear and I can find the tools I need without digging around." - Sally
• "Useful for noticing how my mood shifts across the day." - Nick
• "Reminders are gentle and the app feels calm to open." - Charlotte

What we heard, and what we did

Themes from support and feedback also drive product changes. Each row below is anchored to a shipped release note.

Note on quotes: we publish first names only. We do not publish surnames, employers, medical records or content that could identify a person. If you have contacted us and would rather we did not publish a paraphrase or quote from what you shared, please email us and we will honour the request.

How to give feedback

Inside the app: Settings > About and Support > Send feedback. By email: privacy@mindguard365.com. Feedback is welcome from anyone using the app, at any stage.

Public feedback and usage

We publish a small, rounded summary of how the app is used and how feedback flows in and out. It is refreshed each release, not streamed live. Wellbeing content (journal text, notes, tags, mood values) is never included in analytics so it is not in any of these numbers.

Usage snapshot

Current published version 1.6.4 (2026-07-28). Releases in the last 12 months: 0.

Ranges are conservative bands taken from aggregated app analytics events and refreshed at each material release. No individual usage data is published. Wellbeing content (journal text, notes, tags, mood values) is never sent to analytics and is not included in any of these figures.

Feedback snapshot

We treat feedback as a design signal. The numbers below cover the last 12 months and are refreshed each release. Feedback channels include:

• In-app feedback form
• Email to privacy@mindguard365.com
• Store reviews (read only)

Themes are anonymised free-text feedback grouped by topic. See the change log on this page for paraphrased, first-name-only examples and the shipped changes they influenced.

Plain-English glossary

If you want plain-English definitions of the techniques above (CBT, DBT, mindfulness, grounding, box breathing, PMR, thought record, behavioural activation, self-compassion, values, urge surfing, opposite action, sleep hygiene, HRV, ESF or BCT), see our glossary. The same definitions are shown in the app when you tap the information icon on a tool.

Independent assessment

Mind Guard 365 has achieved ORCHA Assured Bronze certification, independently validated to meet the essential standards for safety, privacy and usability in digital health. Learn more about ORCHA Assured.

Professional assurance

Mind Guard 365 is operated by Mind Guard 365 Ltd. Wellbeing content and exercises are designed and reviewed against reputable, publicly available self-help and psychoeducation sources, and are written to be calm, plain-language and non-stigmatising.

We are transparent that Mind Guard 365 is a non-clinical wellbeing product. Because it does not diagnose, treat or monitor any health condition, clinical risk-management standards intended for clinical software (for example DCB0129, DCB0160 or ISO 14971) and Clinical Safety Officer oversight do not apply to it. We keep our claims accurate and review wording so it does not imply clinical effectiveness.

What Mind Guard 365 is not

• Not a diagnosis tool. It does not assess or diagnose any mental or physical health condition.
• Not treatment. It does not treat, cure or prevent any condition.
• Not a replacement for therapy or professional care. It is a companion for everyday wellbeing, not a substitute for a qualified professional.
• Not crisis monitoring. No one is watching your entries and the app cannot respond in an emergency. See our safety and crisis support page.

How safety is designed into the app

For the risk-management side of the product, including the rules we apply to Help Me Now, the features we deliberately did not build and how content is reviewed, see our safety and risk management page.

Questions

If you have a question about our approach or evidence, contact us at privacy@mindguard365.com.