Early warning signs of a mental health tsunami: Initial data insights from digital services providers during COVID-19 (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Inkster ◽  
Ross O’Brien ◽  
Kate Niederhoffer ◽  
Niranja Bidargaddi ◽  
Roger S. McIntyre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Digital Services

BACKGROUND The immediate impact of COVID-19 on mortality and morbidity has demonstrated the need for accurate and real time data monitoring and communication. Displacements to healthcare systems and economies may have created the perfect storm for an impending and enduring mental health crisis. OBJECTIVE This project documents observations from multiple digital platforms during the COVID-19 crisis, especially digital mental health services. METHODS We used email and social media campaigns to announce an urgent call for support. Digital mental health service providers (N=44), financial services providers (N=5) and other relevant digital data source providers (N=3) responded with quantitative and/or qualitative insights. RESULTS This study demonstrates the complexity of mental health concerns as witnessed by digital providers. A recurring observation is that demand for digital mental health support has risen. The nature of this demand has also changed since COVID-19, notably with an increased presentation of anxiety and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS This study provides proof-of-concept of the viability of working with data insights from diverse digital services providers. We hope that these insights might help to form an epistemological foundation to stimulate future research. Looking ahead, we anticipate the need for a rigorous process to interpret insights from a wide variety of sources in order to monitor mental health needs.

scholarly journals Early Warning Signs of a Mental Health Tsunami: A Coordinated Response to Gather Initial Data Insights From Multiple Digital Services Providers

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Inkster ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Address Data

Introduction: The immediate impact of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) on morbidity and mortality has raised the need for accurate and real-time data monitoring and communication. The aim of this study is to document the initial observations from multiple digital services providers during the COVID-19 crisis, especially those related to mental health and well-being.Methods: We used email and social media to announce an urgent call for support. Digital mental health services providers (N = 46), financial services providers (N = 4), and other relevant digital data source providers (N = 3) responded with quantitative and/or qualitative data insights. People with lived experience of distress, as service users/consumers, and carers are included as co-authors.Results: This study provides proof-of-concept of the viability for researchers and private companies to work collaboratively toward a common good. Digital services providers reported a diverse range of mental health concerns. A recurring observation is that demand for digital mental health support has risen, and that the nature of this demand has also changed since COVID-19, with an apparent increased presentation of anxiety and loneliness.Conclusion: Following this study, we will continue to work with providers in more in-depth ways to capture follow-up insights at regular time points. We will also onboard new providers to address data representativeness. Looking ahead, we anticipate the need for a rigorous process to interpret insights from an even wider variety of sources in order to monitor and respond to mental health needs.

scholarly journals Tri-Response Police, Ambulance, Mental Health Crisis Models in Reducing Involuntary Detentions of Mentally Ill People: Protocol for a Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8230
Author(s):  
Julia Heffernan ◽  
Ewan McDonald ◽  
Elizabeth Hughes ◽  
Richard Gray
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Response Models

Police, ambulance and mental health tri-response services are a relatively new model of responding to people experiencing mental health crisis in the community, but limited evidence exists examining their efficacy. To date there have been no systematic reviews that have examined the association between the tri-response model and rates of involuntary detentions. A systematic review examining co-response models demonstrated possible reduction in involuntary detention, however, recommended further research. The aim of this protocol is to describe how we will systematically review the evidence base around the relationship of the police, ambulance mental health tri-response models in reducing involuntary detentions. We will search health, policing and grey literature databases and include clinical evaluations of any design. Risk of bias will be determined using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool and a narrative synthesis will be undertaken to synthesis key themes. Risk of bias and extracted data will be summarized in tables and results synthesis tabulated to identify patterns within the included studies. The findings will inform future research into the effectiveness of tri-response police, ambulance, and mental health models in reducing involuntary detentions.

scholarly journals Understanding the role of service providers, land use, and resident characteristics on the occurrence of mental health crisis calls to the police

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1961-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clair White ◽  
Victoria Goldberg ◽  
Julie Hibdon ◽  
David Weisburd
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis

Simulation training programme to improve the integrated response of teams in mental health crisis care

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjstel-2020-000641
Author(s):  
Marta Ortega Vega ◽  
Leonie Williams ◽  
Aleks Saunders ◽  
Hannah Iannelli ◽  
Sean Cross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Simulation Training ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Integrated Response ◽  
Simulation Programme

BackgroundThis report presents the findings of a simulation programme to improve the integrated response of teams working in mental health crisis (MHC) care. The programme consisted of the delivery of five interprofessional training courses that aimed to improve the core skills of teams working in MHC care.MethodsQuestionnaires were conducted pre-training and post-training, measuring participants’ human factors using the Human Factors SKills for Healthcare Instrument, as well as self-reported learning experience using free text questions.ResultsThe results found a significant change in human factors scores across all courses. Additionally, thematic analysis of the free text questions showed that participants identified improvements in communication, teamwork and clinical knowledge across all courses, with improvements in other skills in specific courses.ConclusionOverall, the findings suggest a positive impact of the simulation programme across a range of personal and clinical skills, developing further the case for including simulation training in routine mental healthcare education programmes. Future research should consider the long-term impact of interprofessional simulation training in MHC teams to gain further insight into the efficacy of this training modality.

scholarly journals Abandonment: Experiences of accessing emergency services during mental health crisis

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Rene Lovelace ◽  
Liam Phelan ◽  
Rosanna Langer ◽  
Moira Ferguson ◽  
Lissa L Gagnon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Mental Health Challenges

Purpose: Emergency departments (ED’s) often serve as the access point to health services for individuals living with mental health challenges, with mental health crisis (MHC) accounting for 15% of all presentations to ED’s in Canada. Consumers’ experiences of emergency mental health services have widely been reported as negative. This research aims to explore the experiences of individuals accessing the ED for MHC. Method: A supra-analysis was conducted using data from four semi-structured interviews collected from a larger study exploring stigma, discrimination and resilience in people experiencing mental health challenges. Supra-analysis aims to explore an aspect of the data from a different theoretical perspective. Transcripts were selected based on a participant history of voluntarily accessing emergency services for MHC. Data analysis was completed using the process of thematic analysis which involved immersion in the data, the development and refinement of codes leading to themes. Findings: A major theme of abandonment was identified in participant interviews with subthemes of; geographic, socioemotional and therapeutic abandonment. Participants reported that the locations of care, lack of social/emotional engagement and lack of health care providers’ (HCP) knowledge led to negative experiences attending ED’s. Participants also reported a lack of desire to access emergency services in the future. Conclusion: Future research is vital to enhance the delivery of emergency services, to reduce the feelings of abandonment experienced by individuals accessing the ED for MHC. Training and education must be provided to HCP’s staffing ED’s that focuses on providing high quality, appropriate emergency services to this vulnerable population.

Left alone when the cops go home: evaluating a post-mental health crisis assistance program

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 762-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Bonkiewicz ◽  
Alan M. Green ◽  
Kasey Moyer ◽  
Joseph Wright
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Crisis ◽  
Assistance Program ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Calls For Service ◽  
Protective Custody ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a police department's Post-Crisis Assistance Program (PCAP) for consumers who experienced a police-abated mental health crisis. The authors analyzed three questions: First, does PCAP reduce a consumer's future mental health calls for service (CFS)? Second, does PCAP reduce a consumer's odds of being arrested? Third, does PCAP reduce the odds of a consumer being taken into emergency protective custody (EPC)? Design/methodology/approach – The authors use propensity score matching to analyze data from a sample of individuals (n=739) who experienced a police-abated mental health crisis. Findings – The authors find that PCAP consumers generated fewer mental health CFS, were less likely to be arrested, and were less likely to be taken into EPC than non-PCAP consumers six months following a police-abated mental health crisis. Research limitations/implications – The research only examined outcomes six months after a mental health crisis. The authors encourage future research to examine whether the benefits of PCAP persist over longer periods of time. Practical implications – The study demonstrates that partnerships between police departments and local mental health groups can help police officers better serve citizens with mental health conditions. Originality/Value – To the knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the impact of a PCAP for citizens experiencing police-abated mental health crises.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document