Can a mobile app improve mental health service use in 16–25-year olds? An analysis of Afloat

Abstract

BackgroundSeventy-five per cent of mental health conditions arise before the age of 18 years. However, 18–24-year olds are the least likely to receive care. Barriers to accessing treatment in this group are thought to include a lack of awareness of available services and stigma. eHealth is a strong means of connecting with this vulnerable group.AimTo develop a mobile app which facilitates access to mental health care for young people and to assess its potential impact on service use.MethodIn total 127 participants aged 16–25 years and living in the UK were recruited. Questionnaires were used to assess their mental health status, mental health literacy, resource use, barriers to support, and confidence levels. They were then each invited to download the new Afloat app. After using the app for 3 months these parameters were reassessed via follow-up questionnaires.ResultsPreliminary results from 57 participants showed that 50% of users said they would be more likely to seek help for mental health issues and 50% had more confidence to do so as a result of Afloat. The majority of users said that the app had no impact on their service use. For all services including mental health specialist, GP, medication, online support/apps and hospital/A&E Afloat was more likely to increase rather than decrease service use. The remaining responses are being analysed.ConclusionThe app may help to increase mental health service use in this cohort. A longer trial with qualitative analysis would help to ascertain if these changes were sustained and appropriate.