What kinds of digital tools currently exist in the mental health space and why?

The rise of telemedicine within the past 5 years has changed the digital landscape for health technology.

Mental health mobile applications that exist today are designed to help users improve their emotional well-being, become more mindful, and address common mental health issues.

In some cases, I learned a therapy app may be used as a substitute for in-person therapy, as some studies suggest that online talk therapy with an accredited therapist is just as effective as face-to-face therapy in treating conditions like depression, anxiety, and p (PTSD). However, mental health apps that don’t provide direct therapy—such as mindfulness-based and stress relief apps—should not be used as a substitute for therapy. Instead, they are most effective when used as a supplement to counseling.

Mental health apps vary greatly in terms of function, design, purpose, and features. There are six main types of mental health apps, each aimed at helping in a particular area of mental wellness. These areas include:

• Social support and community

• Tracking symptoms of a mental health condition

• Life skills training

• Self-care

• Improving thinking patterns

• Collecting data about mood and other aspects of mental health

• Some also offer online mental health care (such as talk therapy or psychiatric care) directly.

Who most often receives mental health treatment?

In the United States, women are almost twice as likely than men to have received mental health treatment in the past year, with around 21 percent of adult women receiving some form of mental health treatment in the past year, as of 2020. Considering age, those between 18 and 44 years are more likely to receive counseling or therapy than older adults, however older adults are more likely to take medication to treat their mental health issues. Furthermore, mental health treatment in general is far more common among white adults in the U.S. than among other races or ethnicities. In 2020, around 24.4 percent of white adults received some form of mental health treatment in the past year compared to 15.3 percent of black adults and 12.6 percent of Hispanics. (Source)

Reasons for not receiving mental health treatment:

Although stigma surrounding mental health treatment has declined over the last few decades and access to such services has greatly improved, many people in the United States who want or need treatment for mental health issues still do not get it. For example, it is estimated that almost half of women with some form of mental illness did not receive any treatment in the past year, as of 2020. Sadly, the most common reason for U.S. adults to not receive mental health treatment is that they could not afford the cost. Other common reasons for not receiving mental health treatment include not knowing where to go for services or simply not having enough time.

Purpose

The purpose of conducting a survey in the research plan is to attempt to confirm the identify of the target user base for the RoseBuddy app. I plan to to determine: user demographics, mental health concerns, journaling habits, and preferences for features or pain points with current journaling methods.

Questions

• What is your age?

• What is your gender identity?

• What is your highest level of education completed?
  What is your employment status?

• Do you have a history of mental health concerns? If yes, please specify the concerns.

• Have you used any mental health apps in the past? If yes, please specify the app(s) and your experience with them.

• How often do you journal

• What types of things do you typically write about in your journal?

• Have you used a journaling app before? If yes, please specify the app(s) and your experience with them.

• What features do you think are important in a mental health journaling app? (e.g., mood tracking, goal setting, reminders, prompts, social support, privacy features, etc.)
  What do you find challenging about journaling for mental health?

• Have you ever shared your journal entries with a mental health professional or trusted friend/family member? If yes, please specify the person and your experience with sharing.

• What do you think would motivate you to continue using a mental health journaling app?

• Are there any specific pain points you associate with journaling for mental health or with using mental health apps in general?

• Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences with mental health journaling and/or apps?

Results

The anonymous survey responses confirmed our target demographic to be young professional women with a history of mild/treatable mental health disorders. 83% of responders were also of either White or Asian/Pacific Islander descent.