scholarly journals Improving Moderator Responsiveness in Online Peer Support Through Automated Triage (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N Milne ◽  
Kathryn L. McCabe ◽  
Rafael A. Calvo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Response Latency ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Triage System ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Online peer support forums require oversight to ensure they remain safe and therapeutic. As online communities grow, they place a greater burden on their human moderators, which increases the likelihood that people at risk may be overlooked. This study evaluated the potential for machine learning to assist online peer support by directing moderators’ attention where it is most needed. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of an automated triage system and the extent to which it influences moderator behavior. METHODS A machine learning classifier was trained to prioritize forum messages as green, amber, red, or crisis depending on how urgently they require attention from a moderator. This was then launched as a set of widgets injected into a popular online peer support forum hosted by ReachOut.com, an Australian Web-based youth mental health service that aims to intervene early in the onset of mental health problems in young people. The accuracy of the system was evaluated using a holdout test set of manually prioritized messages. The impact on moderator behavior was measured as response ratio and response latency, that is, the proportion of messages that receive at least one reply from a moderator and how long it took for these replies to be made. These measures were compared across 3 periods: before launch, after an informal launch, and after a formal launch accompanied by training. RESULTS The algorithm achieved 84% f-measure in identifying content that required a moderator response. Between prelaunch and post-training periods, response ratios increased by 0.9, 4.4, and 10.5 percentage points for messages labelled as crisis, red, and green, respectively, but decreased by 5.0 percentage points for amber messages. Logistic regression indicated that the triage system was a significant contributor to response ratios for green, amber, and red messages, but not for crisis messages. Response latency was significantly reduced (P<.001), between the same periods, by factors of 80%, 80%, 77%, and 12% for crisis, red, amber, and green messages, respectively. Regression analysis indicated that the triage system made a significant and unique contribution to reducing the time taken to respond to green, amber, and red messages, but not to crisis messages, after accounting for moderator and community activity. CONCLUSIONS The triage system was generally accurate, and moderators were largely in agreement with how messages were prioritized. It had a modest effect on response ratios, primarily because moderators were already more likely to respond to high priority content before the introduction of triage. However, it significantly and substantially reduced the time taken for moderators to respond to prioritized content. Further evaluations are needed to assess the impact of mistakes made by the triage algorithm and how changes to moderator responsiveness impact the well-being of forum members.

Leveraging Twitter Using Artificial Intelligence to Explore Mental Health Insights in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Marshall ◽  
Kate Lanyi ◽  
Rhiannon Green ◽  
Georgie Wilkins ◽  
Fiona Pearson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND There is increasing need to explore the value of soft-intelligence, leveraged using the latest artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) techniques, as a source of analysed evidence to support public health research activity and decision-making. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to further explore the value of soft-intelligence analysed using AI through a case study, which examined a large collection of UK tweets relating to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS A search strategy comprising a list of terms related to mental health, COVID-19, and lockdown restrictions was developed to prospectively collate relevant tweets via Twitter’s advanced search application programming interface over a 24-week period. We deployed a specialist NLP platform to explore tweet frequency and sentiment across the UK and identify key topics of discussion. A series of keyword filters were used to clean the initial data retrieved and also set up to track specific mental health problems. Qualitative document analysis was carried out to further explore and expand upon the results generated by the NLP platform. All collated tweets were anonymised RESULTS We identified and analysed 286,902 tweets posted from UK user accounts from 23 July 2020 to 6 January 2021. The average sentiment score was 50%, suggesting overall neutral sentiment across all tweets over the study period. Major fluctuations in volume and sentiment appeared to coincide with key changes to any local and/or national social-distancing measures. Tweets around mental health were polarising, discussed with both positive and negative sentiment. Key topics of consistent discussion over the study period included the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health (both positively and negatively), fear and anxiety over lockdowns, and anger and mistrust toward the government. CONCLUSIONS Through the primary use of an AI-based NLP platform, we were able to rapidly mine and analyse emerging health-related insights from UK tweets into how the pandemic may be impacting people’s mental health and well-being. This type of real-time analysed evidence could act as a useful intelligence source that agencies, local leaders, and health care decision makers can potentially draw from, particularly during a health crisis.

scholarly journals Measuring the Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health: A Scoping Review of the Existing Scales

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 421-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viswa Chaitanya Chandu ◽  
Yamuna Marella ◽  
Gnana Sarita Panga ◽  
Srinivas Pachava ◽  
Viswanath Vadapalli
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Electronic Database ◽  
Electronic Database Search ◽  
The Impact

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, associated with the economic consequences of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as lockdown, has led to mental health consequences among people worldwide. Protecting the mental well-being of populations is an imperative component of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review attempts to present an overview of the existing tools to measure COVID-19-related mental health problems. Methods: Literature search was conducted in the PubMed electronic database using developed key search terms. Reference lists of the identified eligible articles were reviewed to locate relevant articles missed from the electronic database search. Fifteen scales measuring COVID-19-associated mental health problems, validated among diverse populations across the world, were included in this review. Results: The majority of these scales were validated among middle-aged adults in Turkey. Only a few validated scales encompass the negative socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19. None of the available scales focused on the aspects of suicidal ideation or behavioral responses/coping strategies, neither were they inclusive of participants from diverse age, geographic, and COVID-19 exposure groups. Conclusion: This scoping review highlights the need for future research to develop and validate comprehensive psychometric tools to assess COVID-19-associated mental health problems. Also, in view of the vulnerable nature of healthcare professionals for developing mental health concerns in the course of providing services for COVID-19-affected individuals, future psychometric research needs to concentrate on the development of measures specific for these professionals.

scholarly journals The mental health consumer movement and peer providers in Israel

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 420-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Mental Health System ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Consumer Movement ◽  
The Impact

Self-help peer-support groups in Israel emerged in the 1980s and, over time, dynamically interacted and co-developed with the statutory mental health (MH) system. In this editorial, I outline historical milestones of how the evolution of the Israeli mental health system was influenced by the consumer movement. A brief depiction of the consumer movement history. At first, consumers operated outside of the mainstream MH system. Gradually, consumer groups and institutional personnel joined efforts towards community integration and enhancement of quality of life, pushing forward a person-centered recovery orientation. In turn, some administrators and key stakeholders in rehabilitation community services grew to value the impact of knowledge-by-experience in contemporary mental health care. In this context, over the past decade, peer roles were developed in the mental health system, including consumer-providers in community services and peer specialists in inpatient psychiatric hospitals. The insertion of peer roles into the mainstream MH system is far-reaching, including the placement of a peer-project coordinator within the ministry of health. I describe the unique contribution of peers, as experts-by-experience, to mainstream professional knowledge and practice. I also highlight the potential challenges involved when peer models of care are added to traditional medical models of care. The Israeli case demonstrates how the consumer movement can play an active role in MH systems and be acknowledged and recognised as a partner for changing policy, practice and reshaping formal institutions. In addition, they play a vital role in the development of peer-support services.

Debt and mental health: the role of psychiatrists

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Fitch ◽  
Robert Chaplin ◽  
Colin Trend ◽  
Sharon Collard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Mental Capacity ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
The Impact

One in four people with mental health problems in Britain report debt or arrears, which is nearly three times the rate among individuals without similar conditions. Although health professionals commonly encounter debt among patients, some report that they lack basic knowledge to effectively intervene and that patient debt is often not acted on until a crisis emerges. Our aim in this article is to improve psychiatrists' knowledge and confidence in dealing with patient debt. We provide basic definitions of debt and problem debt; outline the impact that debt can have on patients' health, social and financial well-being; identify the stages and signs that a patient may be accruing problem debt; describe how psychiatrists should respond; and review the instruments available to assess patients' mental capacity to make financial decisions. We do not expect psychiatrists to become ‘debt experts’, but provide working knowledge for engaging more effectively with this problem.

scholarly journals Maternal mental health and child well-being in Nigeria: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205510292110121
Author(s):  
Dung Ezekiel Jidong ◽  
Nusrat Husain ◽  
Tarela J Ike ◽  
Maisha Murshed ◽  
Juliet Y Pwajok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Child Growth ◽  
Physical Growth ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
The Impact

Maternal mental health distress has a disease burden of severe adverse effects for both mother and child. This review identified maternal mental health concerns, their impact on child growth and the current practice of maternal healthcare for both mothers and their children in Nigeria. The Population, phenomenon of Interest and Context (PICo) model was adopted to formulate the review strategy, and five databases were searched for published articles between 1999 and 2019. Databases include Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts and Web of Science. Boolean operators (AND/OR/NOT) helped to ensure rigorous use of search terms which include ‘maternal’, ‘pre/peri/postnatal’, ‘mental health’, ‘mental illness’, ‘disorders’, ‘intervention,’ ‘Nigeria’, ‘child’, ‘infant growth’, and ‘wellbeing’. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria, and extracted data were qualitatively synthesised and analysed thematically. Five themes emerged. These include (i) marital difficulties, (ii) relationship status of the mother, (iii) child’s gender, (iv) mode of child delivery and (v) child growth and development. The review showed a significant paucity of literature on the impact of specific maternal mental health problems on child physical growth and cognitive development. We concluded that culturally appropriate and evidence-based psychological interventions for maternal mental health problems would benefit Nigerian indigenous mothers. Therefore, the study recommends randomised controlled trials that are culturally appropriate and cost-effective for distressed mothers with children.

Effectiveness of training workplace managers to understand and support the mental health needs of employees: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 462-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimée Gayed ◽  
Josie S Milligan-Saville ◽  
Jennifer Nicholas ◽  
Bridget T Bryan ◽  
Anthony D LaMontagne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Employee Outcomes ◽  
Manager Training ◽  
The Impact

Managers are in an influential position to make decisions that can impact on the mental health and well-being of their employees. As a result, there is an increasing trend for organisations to provide managers with training in how to reduce work-based mental health risk factors for their employees. A systematic search of the literature was conducted to identify workplace interventions for managers with an emphasis on the mental health of employees reporting directing to them. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate pooled effect sizes using the random effects model for both manager and employee outcomes. Ten controlled trials were identified as relevant for this review. Outcomes evaluating managers’ mental health knowledge (standardised mean difference (SMD)=0.73; 95% CI 0.43 to 1.03; p<0.001), non-stigmatising attitudes towards mental health (SMD=0.36; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.53; p<0.001) and improving behaviour in supporting employees experiencing mental health problems (SMD=0.59; 95% CI 0.14 to 1.03; p=0.01) were found to have significant pooled effect sizes favouring the intervention. A significant pooled effect was not found for the small number of studies evaluating psychological symptoms in employees (p=0.28). Our meta-analysis indicates that training managers in workplace mental health can improve their knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviour in supporting employees experiencing mental health problems. At present, any findings regarding the impact of manager training on levels of psychological distress among employees remain preliminary as only a very limited amount of research evaluating employee outcomes is available. Our review suggests that in order to understand the effectiveness of manager training on employees, an increase in collection of employee level data is required.

scholarly journals Online and Recovery-Oriented Support Groups Facilitated by Peer Support Workers in Times of COVID-19: Protocol for a Feasibility Pre-Post Study

10.2196/22500 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e22500
Author(s):  
Jean-Francois Pelletier ◽  
Janie Houle ◽  
Marie-Hélène Goulet ◽  
Robert-Paul Juster ◽  
Charles-Édouard Giguère ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Clinical Recovery ◽  
Study Results ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Background In times of pandemics, social distancing, isolation, and quarantine have precipitated depression, anxiety, and substance misuse. Scientific literature suggests that patients living with mental health problems or illnesses (MHPIs) who interact with peer support workers (PSWs) experience not only the empathy and connectedness that comes from similar life experiences but also feel hope in the possibility of recovery. So far, it is the effect of mental health teams or programs with PSWs that has been evaluated. Objective This paper presents the protocol for a web-based intervention facilitated by PSWs. The five principal research questions are whether this intervention will have an impact in terms of (Q1) personal-civic recovery and (Q2) clinical recovery, (Q3) how these recovery potentials can be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, (Q4) how the lived experience of persons in recovery can be mobilized to cope with such a situation, and (Q5) how sex and gender considerations can be taken into account for the pairing of PSWs with service users beyond considerations based solely on psychiatric diagnoses or specific MHPIs. This will help us assess the impact of PSWs in this setting. Methods PSWs will lead a typical informal peer support group within the larger context of online peer support groups, focusing on personal-civic recovery. They will be scripted with a fixed, predetermined duration (a series of 10 weekly 90-minute online workshops). There will be 2 experimental subgroups—patients diagnosed with (1) psychotic disorders (n=10) and (2) anxiety or mood disorders (n=10)—compared to a control group (n=10). Random assignment to the intervention and control arms will be conducted using a 2:1 ratio. Several instruments will be used to assess clinical recovery (eg, the Recovery Assessment Scale, the Citizenship Measure questionnaire). The COVID-19 Stress Scales will be used to assess effects in terms of clinical recovery and stress- or anxiety-related responses to COVID-19. Changes will be compared between groups from baseline to endpoint in the intervention and control groups using the Student paired sample t test. Results This pilot study was funded in March 2020. The protocol was approved on June 16, 2020, by the Research Ethics Committees of the Montreal Mental Health University Institute. Recruitment took place during the months of July and August, and results are expected in December 2020. Conclusions Study results will provide reliable evidence on the effectiveness of a web-based intervention provided by PSWs. The investigators, alongside key decision makers and patient partners, will ensure knowledge translation throughout, and our massive open online course (MOOC), The Fundamentals of Recovery, will be updated with the evidence and new knowledge generated by this feasibility study. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04445324; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04445324 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/22500

scholarly journals Easing the disruption of COVID-19: supporting the mental health of the people of Canada—October 2020—an RSC Policy Briefing

FACETS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1071-1098
Author(s):  
Gordon J.G. Asmundson ◽  
Cindy Blackstock ◽  
Marie Claire Bourque ◽  
Glenn Brimacombe ◽  
Allison Crawford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Structural Racism ◽  
The People ◽  
The Future ◽  
Structural Inequities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Care System

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of the people of Canada. Most have found it challenging to cope with social distancing, isolation, anxiety about infection, financial security and the future, and balancing demands of work and home life. For some, especially those who have had to face pre-existing challenges such as structural racism, poverty, and discrimination and those with prior mental health problems, the pandemic has been a major impact. The Policy Briefing Report focuses on the current situation, how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significant long-standing weaknesses in the mental health system and makes specific recommendations to meet these challenges to improve the well-being of the people of Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on mental health of people in Canada but the impact has been variable, impacting those facing pre-existing structural inequities hardest. Those living in poverty, and in some socially stratified groups facing greater economic and social disadvantage, such as some racialized and some Indigenous groups and those with preexisting mental health problems, have suffered the most. Some occupational groups have been more exposed to the virus and to psychological stress with the pandemic. The mental health care system was already overextended and under resourced. The pandemic has exacerbated the problems. The care system responded by a massive move to virtual care. The future challenge is for Canada to strengthen our knowledge base in mental health, to learn from the pandemic, and to provide all in Canada the support they need to fully participate in and contribute to Canada’s recovery from the pandemic.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Well-Being of Patients with Kidney Failure Receiving Haemodialysis during a Pandemic: A Survey

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1087
Author(s):  
Clare McKeaveney ◽  
Helen Noble ◽  
Claire Carswell ◽  
William Johnston ◽  
Joanne Reid
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Kidney Failure ◽  
Patient Population ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Health Distress ◽  
Mental Health Distress ◽  
The Impact

Background: Living with kidney failure and undergoing hospital haemodialysis (HD) is associated with a high prevalence of mental health problems and poor quality of life. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional challenges for this patient population. Objectives: To understand the impact on mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in people receiving HD. Methods: An online survey using a cross-sectional study design. Two validated assessment tools (General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12); Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI)), binary, Likert and free-text qualitative questions were included. Individuals with kidney failure receiving HD, over 18 years of age, were recruited online between July and August 2020. Results: Forty-four participants were recruited. Approximately, 54% of respondents were tested for COVID-19; however, no positive results were reported by patients or associated family members. Scores of GHQ-12 and PWI were compared with those from previous studies. Mental health distress was higher in prevalence (68.2%) and severity (M = 18.3) in this study when compared to that of the general population in Northern Ireland during COVID-19 (April 2020). In addition, well-being (M = 37.16, SD = 18.19) was poorer when compared to that of pre-COVID-19 dialysis patient population. Conclusion: During the current pandemic, individuals receiving hospital HD have heightened mental health distress, and their well-being is impacted negatively. This study reinforces the need to provide appropriate psychosocial care as well as supportive interventions for mental distress to patients with kidney failure during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: a comparison between Germany and the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Knolle ◽  
Lisa Ronan ◽  
Graham K Murray
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Financial Situation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

In March 2020 the SARS-CoV-2infection (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic. In response to its world-wide outbreak radical measures were taken by governments across the world including curfew, quarantine, travel bans, social distancing, work place and school closures, etc, to reduce the transmission of the virus. These measures led to dramatic social and economic changes for the general population, in addition to the fears and worries related to the disease and its contraction. First studies report the impact of the pandemic on mental well-being of the general population showing increased levels of anxiety, stress and depression. In this study, we compare the impact of the pandemic on two European countries: the UK and Germany, which reported their first cases within a week. 241 residents of the UK and 541 residents of Germany filled in an online survey, including questions on COVID-19 exposure, impact on financial situation and work, substance and media consumption, self-reported mental and physical health, as well as including two clinical questionnaires, the general mental health Symptom Check List-27 (SCL-27) and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Data collection was completed between 27/04/20-31/05/20. We found distinct differences between the two countries. UK responders reported a stronger direct impact on their health, financial situation and their families. UK responders had higher clinical scores on the SCL-27, with a higher percentage being above cut-off. Interestingly, however, we found that German responders were less hopeful for an end of the pandemic and more concerned about their life-stability. Generally, we found that a younger age, being female, lower education, poorer mental and physical health before the pandemic, as well as more social media and substance consumption was associated with a higher clinical risk. This research shows strong differences between two economically and culturally similar countries, but as 25% of both German and UK responders reported a subjective worsening of the general psychological symptoms and 20-50% of German and UK responders reached the clinical cut-off for depressive, dysthymic and anxieties, it specifically shows the need for health emergency tailored intervention systems to assist not only people vulnerable for mental health problems, but also large proportions of the general public.

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