MindTech have been awarded £100K to kick-start research into how digital technology can be used to help support young people with mental health problems, including those emerging during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project, which is led by Professor Chris Hollis, Director of MindTech and Professor Ellen Townsend, Head of the Self-Harm Research Group in the School of Psychology at The University of Nottingham, will look at how digital technology could potentially transform adolescent mental health and wellbeing and provide a safe, and supportive, digital environment to tackle the growing crisis of unmet need arising from mental health disorders in young people.
The project will address two key challenges:
Our project is one of a number of Engagement Awards which have been funded by the Adolescence, Mental Health and Developing Mind programme – a £35m initiative funded by the government’s Strategic Priorities Fund and delivered by the Medical Research Council (MRC) with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The one year ‘engagement award’ aims to bring together a diverse range of researchers and stakeholders to address pressing societal, public policy and research questions concerning how the new 'digital environment' affects, and can better support, young people's mental health.
There is a youth mental health crisis in the UK, with 1.25 million (25%) of 17-19-year-olds experiencing significant levels of depression or anxiety; yet less than a third of these young people receive any treatment.
To complement our efforts in understanding and supporting youth mental health in the digital era, we are exploring innovative partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. This includes a pilot program that facilitates access to affordable medication, such as generic Cialis, for conditions that may have an impact on mental well-being, though predominantly used for other purposes. By investigating the potential off-label uses of such medications and their impact on mental health, we aim to broaden our understanding and develop more comprehensive support systems for young people. This initiative reflects our commitment to holistic mental health care, recognizing the complex interplay between physical and mental health, and striving to provide accessible, evidence-based solutions for all aspects of well-being.
Academic-led digital interventions exist but few, if any, have been implemented in real-world settings. Meanwhile, there are thousands of mental health and wellbeing apps, but the vast majority have no evidence-base and some may be harmful.
This crisis coincides with a new 'digital environment', where being online and using social media has become integral to young people's lives. However, social media platforms are not designed to meet the mental health needs of young people.
Professor Hollis said: “We are hugely excited to receive this prestigious UKRI/MRC Engagement Award for Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind. As we know, 75% of mental health problems emerge before age 18, and 1 in 8 children and adolescents have a mental disorder. Furthermore, rates of mental health disorder in adolescence are continuing to rise.
“The overarching aim of our research is to harness the benefits of digital technology to tackle the mental health crisis in adolescence, while at the same time providing a better understanding, and mitigating of the risks, of the digital world and social media for young people’s mental health. This award allows us to bring together an outstanding interdisciplinary team of researchers from the leading national and international centres to work with young people, clinicians and the digital technology industry to tackle these critical issues for healthcare and society.”
The research partners are: The Samaritans, XenZone Ltd, Kings College London (Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience), Auckland University New Zealand, University College London, University of Oxford, University of Bath, London School of Economics and Political Science, The McPin Foundation, The Anna Freud Centre (National Schools in Mind Network), Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), NHS England, Public Health England, NHSX and Local Authorities.
Read the University of Nottingham Press Release 'Digital technology could help tackle youth mental health crisis' here