Mobile Mental Health

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Raquel Simões de Almeida

Several people with mental health problems do not receive suitable treatment and often avoid or delay seeking help due to concerns about being treated differently and other practical barriers (for example, services costs and unavailability). The mobile health concept has gained more enthusiasts worldwide exactly because it helps mitigate some of these issues. However, despite the emerging scientific evidence in the last decade that proves the efficacy and safety of these interventions, professionals have shown some doubts and worries about their implementation, especially in the mental health field. Thereby, this chapter provides a review on the subject, presenting several mobile applications for mental health problems and also the expectations and needs of health professionals and users for development and implementation of a mobile application.

2022 ◽  
pp. 226-243
Author(s):  
Raquel Simões de Almeida ◽  
Tiago da Silva

People with mental health problems often struggle in getting the suitable treatment regarding not only the type of interventions available but also the conditions required for a proper treatment, mainly cost, locality, and frequency. The use of AI chatbots for this population is a new trend and can reduce the gap between the need for mental health care making them accessible in a cost-effective way. Although chatbots are not a substitute for formal treatments, they are sometimes used in tandem with other treatments with positive results. This chapter provides a review on the subject, presenting several chatbots for mental health problems and also addressing some concerns such as privacy, data security, AI limitations, and ethical implications. Future research directions are also discussed.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
V. Kovess ◽  
R. de Graaf ◽  
J.M. Haro ◽  
R. Bruffaerts ◽  
F. Gilbert ◽  
...  

Objective:To complete missing information on the influence of spiritual and religious advisors as informal providers for mental health problems in Europe.Methods:Recourse to religious practice or belief when coping with mental health problems was evaluated using data from the ESEMED survey. This was a stratified, multistage, clustered-area probability sample survey of mental health carried out in six European countries which included 8796 subjects. Between countries differences in sociodemographic characteristics, religious affiliation, and prevalence of mental disorders and management of mental disorders were evaluated.Results:Religion appears to play a limited role in coping with mental health problems in Europe. Only 7.9% of individuals seeking help for such problems turned to a religious advisor. This proportion differed between countries from 13% in Italy, 12.5% in Germany, 10.5% in the Netherlands, 5.8% in France, 4.7% in Belgium to 4% in Spain. In addition, seeking help exclusively from religion was reported by only 1.3% of subjects. Practicing religion at least once a week and considering religion as important in daily life were predictors of using religion versus conventional health care only. Use of religion was not influenced by gender and age. Non-Christian respondents and individuals with alcohol disorders were more likely to use religion. In Spain, the use of religion is much lower than average.Conclusions:Unlike the situation in the United States, organised religion does not provide alternative informal mental health care in Europe. At best, it could be considered as an adjunct to conventional care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 189-202
Author(s):  
E.V. Rezun ◽  
◽  
H.R. Slobodskaya ◽  
N.B. Semenova ◽  
T.O. Rippinen ◽  
...  

The mental health problems among adolescents have long-lasting effects throughout life. However, research evidence indicates that only 10–30% of adolescents who needed mental health care had received specialized help. The present study reports the prevalence of mental health problems and help-seeking among adolescents, taking into account gender and age differences. The sample included 1752 adolescents (47 % boys,) aged 12-17 years. Data were collected on in two Siberian cities (Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk) using an international self-report questionnaire developed for the school-based Eurasian Child Mental Health Study. Participants were recruited from 18 schools, students completed questionnaires anonymously during school lessons. Statistical analysis included analysis of variance (ANOVA), multiple regression analysis, and crosstabs using a chi-squared test. The level of emotional and behavioral problems in Siberian adolescents was slightly higher than that found in European and Asian countries. Twenty three percent of adolescents reported frequent headaches (at least once a week), 11 % reported frequent abdominal pain and 14% suffered from frequent sleep disturbances (3–5 times a week or more). Girls reported a significantly higher level of problems than boys, with the largest gender differences for emotional problems, recurrent pains and sleep disturbances. Weekly consumption of alcohol and daily use of nicotine among boys was more common than among girls (3 % and 6 %, respectively), whereas less frequent use of alcohol and nicotine was commoner in girls (16 %) than in boys (10 %); 7 % of boys and girls had tried drugs at least once. Suicidal thoughts were reported by 22 % of adolescents, 6 % reported suicide attempts and 6 % reported repeated self-harm. One third of adolescents considered seeking outside help and 9 % had actually done so. Girls reported more help-seeking than boys; older girls sought help more often than younger and middle-aged ones. Around one third of adolescents sought help from their relatives; 26 % from friends, the Internet or other non-professional sources; 5 % reported seeking help from a doctor or nurse, and 3 % from a psychologist. The most important independent predictors of seeking help were emotional symptoms, suicidal ideation and hyperactivity/inattention. The results suggest a need for future investigation of the factors associated with help-seeking behavior among adolescents. It is also necessary to develop mental health promotion programs for adolescents, interventions to improve mental health literacy and access to mental health care.


Author(s):  
Donald Rakow ◽  
Gregory T. Eells

College students today display disturbing levels of stress, depression, and other psychological conditions. The reasons for this rise in mental health problems are many, from increased reliance on electronic technology, the related prevalence of social isolation, and anxiety regarding societal ills. College and university counselling centers are challenged to address student demand for psychological services, with many counseling directors having to reduce the number of visits for non-crisis patients to cope with the increasing number of clients. While more serious mental health problems will continue to be addressed through intensive counseling, medications and, in extreme cases, hospitalization, the majority of young people can positively impact their mental well-being by simply spending time outside in nature. A large body of scientific evidence verifies that time spent in natural settings can lower young people's stress levels, anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate, and improve memory and cognitive functions. College Nature Rx programs encourage students to spend time in nature and to develop greater appreciation for the natural world. We present a step-by-step formula for how such programs can be constructed, sustained, and evaluated, and profile four progressive Nature Rx programs at American colleges. In a final chapter, we argue for the need for such programs to the future health and strength of such institutions.


Author(s):  
Alan Ralph

Significant numbers of teenagers globally are reported to have health and mental health problems. Parenting factors have been shown to be related to adolescent health and mental health problems as well as other social determinants. Teen Triple P is described as an example of an intervention developed as an upward extension of the Triple P—Positive Parenting Program for parents of children from 12 to 16 years of age. Challenges that need to be addressed to increase parental access to trained practitioners are discussed, including the tendency among workers in the adolescent mental health field to be oriented to working directly with the teenager and the identification and training of a workforce that has the capacity and opportunity to work with parents of teenagers.


2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
HENRY JACKSON ◽  
FIONA JUDD ◽  
ANGELA KOMITI ◽  
CAITLIN FRASER ◽  
GREG MURRAY ◽  
...  

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