@Article{info:doi/10.2196/43271,
author="Spadaro, Benedetta
and Martin-Key, Nayra A
and Funnell, Erin
and Ben{\'a}{\v{c}}ek, Ji{\v{r}}{\'i}
and Bahn, Sabine",
title="Opportunities for the Implementation of a Digital Mental Health Assessment Tool in the United Kingdom: Exploratory Survey Study",
journal="JMIR Form Res",
year="2023",
month="Aug",
day="7",
volume="7",
pages="e43271",
keywords="assessment; digital mental health; development; implementation; mental health; provision; support; mobile phone",
abstract="Background: Every year, one-fourth of the people in the United Kingdom experience diagnosable mental health concerns, yet only a proportion receive a timely diagnosis and treatment. With novel developments in digital technologies, the potential to increase access to mental health assessments and triage is promising. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the current state of mental health provision in the United Kingdom and understand the utility of, and interest in, digital mental health technologies. Methods: A web-based survey was generated using Qualtrics XM. Participants were recruited via social media. Data were explored using descriptive statistics. Results: The majority of the respondents (555/618, 89.8{\%}) had discussed their mental health with a general practitioner. More than three-fourths (503/618, 81.4{\%}) of the respondents had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, with the most common diagnoses being depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Diagnostic waiting times from first contact with a health care professional varied by diagnosis. Neurodevelopmental disorders (30/56, 54{\%}), bipolar disorder (25/52, 48{\%}), and personality disorders (48/101, 47.5{\%}) had the longest waiting times, with almost half (103/209, 49.3{\%}) of these diagnoses taking >6 months. Participants stated that waiting times resulted in symptoms worsening (262/353, 74.2{\%}), lower quality of life (166/353, 47{\%}), and the necessity to seek emergency care (109/353, 30.9{\%}). Of the 618 participants, 386 (62.5{\%}) stated that they felt that their mental health symptoms were not always taken seriously by their health care provider and 297 (48.1{\%}) were not given any psychoeducational information. The majority of the respondents (416/595, 77.5{\%}) did not have the chance to discuss mental health support and treatment options. Critically, 16.1{\%} (96/595) did not find any treatment or support provided at all helpful, with 63{\%} (48/76) having discontinued treatment with no effective alternatives. Furthermore, 88.3{\%} (545/617) of the respondents) had sought help on the web regarding mental health symptoms, and 44.4{\%} (272/612) had used a web application or smartphone app for their mental health. Psychoeducation (364/596, 61.1{\%}), referral to a health care professional (332/596, 55.7{\%}), and symptom monitoring (314/596, 52.7{\%}) were the most desired app features. Only 6.8{\%} (40/590) of the participants said that they would not be interested in using a mental health assessment app. Respondents were the most interested to receive an overall severity score of their mental health symptoms (441/546, 80.8{\%}) and an indication of whether they should seek mental health support (454/546, 83.2{\%}). Conclusions: Key gaps in current UK mental health care provision are highlighted. Assessment and treatment waiting times together with a lack of information regarding symptoms and treatment options translated into poor care experiences. The participants' responses provide proof-of-concept support for the development of a digital mental health assessment app and valuable recommendations regarding desirable app features. ",
issn="2561-326X",
doi="10.2196/43271",
url="https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e43271",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/43271",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37549003"
}