Some examples of quotes include:
Yeah I use messaging, especially one time um one of my youth didn’t have any minutes on their
phone so we actually were a couple times messaging through the site
I think a good one for me is the mood Qnaire and the medication one. Um, because a lot of my
youth, their mood fluctuates either in a single day – when I see them in the morning they could
be doing amazing and then by the afternoon they’re just doing horrible. So, I can send them one
of those and then kind of see like maybe what a trend is and figure out the trend and then that
way I can better support them as well
So that they do make it to their appointments on time, and at their like right day. I’m able to text
them ahead of time to remind them
So, they don’t want to like give away things in person like if its … going to cause them to cry. It
… allows them to be more vulnerable
If anything it’s increased the relationships and made them like stronger and better
For improvements they noted the app had a medical look to it that was not inviting
to youth:
It does, like I feel like if I’m a 23-year-old and I’m just looking and it’s this nice bright blue and
white, but…it’s just reminds me of a doctor’s office and a lot of our youth may be triggered by
doctor’s offices, or have had really bad experiences…
They also noted that they do not spend much time on their computer so they really
need a phone app themselves for the provider version.
4 Discussion
The demographic findings from the baseline interviews were characterized by a wide
age range (14–25 years) with a comorbidity of psychiatric illnesses. There were 62.3%
of participants who stated that they had been admitted to a hospital for psychiatric
reason. When asked the estimate total number of psychiatric admissions, the average
number of hospitalizations among youth who did report a hospitalization was 5.9 times.
With regards to community integration the sample appeared to be socially isolated
as only 43.9% visiting friends or relatives at least weekly. The majority of the sample
used social media on most days.
Based on the preliminary findings, we report that the use of smart technology was
successfully deployed to a range of youth with symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Both staff and youth identified strengths of both having the application as well as
having a phone. The ability to communicate more easily was noted as a particular
strength that has the potential to improve access to care and support the therapeutic
relationship. As previously noted in the literature, smartphones have been found to be
successful in assisting individuals with bipolar disorder [6], and social phobia [7]. It is
anticipated that the TELEPROM-Y project will be able to provide greater assistance to
individuals with mental illness through enhanced access to resources and supports, as
well as further opportunities for communication with care providers. Moreover, the use
of smartphones may represent a more convenient approach to mental healthcare as
opposed to in-person appointments or printed resources (i.e. brochures, information
sheets) that are easily lost or damaged. As described in the preliminary focus groups of
this study, some individuals may not wish to visit a healthcare provider’s office due to
Improving Access and Mental Health for Youth Through Virtual Models of Care
217
Yeah I use messaging, especially one time um one of my youth didn’t have any minutes on their
phone so we actually were a couple times messaging through the site
I think a good one for me is the mood Qnaire and the medication one. Um, because a lot of my
youth, their mood fluctuates either in a single day – when I see them in the morning they could
be doing amazing and then by the afternoon they’re just doing horrible. So, I can send them one
of those and then kind of see like maybe what a trend is and figure out the trend and then that
way I can better support them as well
So that they do make it to their appointments on time, and at their like right day. I’m able to text
them ahead of time to remind them
So, they don’t want to like give away things in person like if its … going to cause them to cry. It
… allows them to be more vulnerable
If anything it’s increased the relationships and made them like stronger and better
For improvements they noted the app had a medical look to it that was not inviting
to youth:
It does, like I feel like if I’m a 23-year-old and I’m just looking and it’s this nice bright blue and
white, but…it’s just reminds me of a doctor’s office and a lot of our youth may be triggered by
doctor’s offices, or have had really bad experiences…
They also noted that they do not spend much time on their computer so they really
need a phone app themselves for the provider version.
4 Discussion
The demographic findings from the baseline interviews were characterized by a wide
age range (14–25 years) with a comorbidity of psychiatric illnesses. There were 62.3%
of participants who stated that they had been admitted to a hospital for psychiatric
reason. When asked the estimate total number of psychiatric admissions, the average
number of hospitalizations among youth who did report a hospitalization was 5.9 times.
With regards to community integration the sample appeared to be socially isolated
as only 43.9% visiting friends or relatives at least weekly. The majority of the sample
used social media on most days.
Based on the preliminary findings, we report that the use of smart technology was
successfully deployed to a range of youth with symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Both staff and youth identified strengths of both having the application as well as
having a phone. The ability to communicate more easily was noted as a particular
strength that has the potential to improve access to care and support the therapeutic
relationship. As previously noted in the literature, smartphones have been found to be
successful in assisting individuals with bipolar disorder [6], and social phobia [7]. It is
anticipated that the TELEPROM-Y project will be able to provide greater assistance to
individuals with mental illness through enhanced access to resources and supports, as
well as further opportunities for communication with care providers. Moreover, the use
of smartphones may represent a more convenient approach to mental healthcare as
opposed to in-person appointments or printed resources (i.e. brochures, information
sheets) that are easily lost or damaged. As described in the preliminary focus groups of
this study, some individuals may not wish to visit a healthcare provider’s office due to
Improving Access and Mental Health for Youth Through Virtual Models of Care
217