No abstract

IntroductionOne of the most common somatic responses of the human body to a mental health issue consists of alterations of the breathing rate. Typically, when an individual is under stress, tends to have a more rapid shallow breathing - instead of resorting to the diaphragm to help the air in and out the lungs, ends up conducting a thoracic breathing, leading to extended fatigue or dizziness.ObjectivesThe aim of this project is to assess the accuracy and efficacy of measuring the breathing rate through abdominal breathing movements, via the smartphone’s sensors, and applying it to personalize a digitized diaphragmatic breathing strategy. The main hypothesis under testing is that the digitization of this strategy with the personalization to the subject’s own response is efficient as a valuable tool for mental health coping.MethodsA tool was developed and integrated with a mobile app that aggregates mental health coping strategies, based on the digitalization of positive psychology techniques. The tool included the diaphragmatic breathing exercise and the personalization to the user through biofeedback. Such biofeedback was based on the user’s abdominal movements and directly impacted the course of the strategy. The tool is under testing, counting so far with 25 subjects resident in Portugal.ResultsThe usability and effectiveness metrics of the solution will be assessed on the first contact of the subject with the app, and segmented by different subject profiles. Mental health metrics will also be assessed, namely anxiety levels - using the smartphone sensors and standard psychiatric scales. The results will be compared with a control group, in which the subjects will only perform the self-assessment, without using the breathing exercise.Image:ConclusionsWe have yet to draw conclusions from the project; however, we aim to achieve the first results in due time.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Introduction Due to the Covid-19 effects, mental health conditions are now, more than ever, affecting our daily lives - both personally and professionally. The average delay between the onset of first symptoms of a mental health disorder and seeking suitable healthcare is 11 years. The WHO states that the only sustainable way to reduce mental healthcare burden is by acting earlier. Objectives The aim of this project is to assess the receptivity and engagement of a mobile app for mental health prevention, amongst a large-scale and heterogeneous group of individuals. The main hypothesis under testing is that people are receptive to actively act towards mental health prevention, despite still being a very neglected and stigmatized topic. Methods A mobile app for mental health improvement and disease prevention was developed through the digitalization of positive psychology strategies, such as mood tracking, journaling, breathing exercises, among others, which are personalized to the user through biofeedback. The app aims at teaching people how to autonomously cope with mental health conditions, identifying early signs and redirecting them to proper mental health professionals. The app is being released for a population of 35,000 subjects resident in Portugal. Results Receptivity and engagement metrics will be assessed on a weekly and monthly basis, for 3 months, segmented by different subject profiles. Mental health metrics will also be assessed, namely anxiety, depression, and burnout levels - using standard psychiatric scales. Conclusions We have yet to draw conclusions from the project; however, we aim to achieve first results in due time. Disclosure The aim of this research is to assess the receptivity of mental health prevention strategies using technology, namely a mobile app provided by a company.

IntroductionThe Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has shown to be useful in the treatment of PTSD, general anxiety, stress and burnout. Nonetheless, assessing therapy progress has been limited to subjective appreciations of the patient and therapist, which compromise therapy efficacy, and the continuum of care (clinic and at home) and scalability that digitized approaches can offer.ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to validate the potential of a smartphone-based biofeedback digitized approach for EMDR usage in burnout therapy, as a means to provide quantitative progress assessment and personalized therapy optimization.MethodsA digitized burnout status assessment app based on Maslach Burnout Inventory was first implemented and tested. Then, an EMDR app was developed by making use of adjustable audiovisual stimuli (e.g. different velocity and horizontal/vertical visual stimuli; and different pitch and left-right surround sound effects) and also of the smartphone’s camera photoplethysmography finger recordings from which heart rate, heart rate variability and breathing rate are derived and used for modulating stimuli (biofeedback). Finally, interviews with several EMDR experts were conducted to assess the potential of the app as a therapeutic adjuvant.ResultsThe preliminary interview results showed that the app can be useful for online therapy, to optimize the stimuli presentation, and to quantify the therapy experience and outcomes. The interviews also validated the technical specifications and usability of the tool.ConclusionsResults so far have shown a promising receptivity and interest from EMDR experts. As such, patient testing is currently on-going.DisclosureThe work of the present abstract is the basis of the research conducted at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, co-lead with NEVARO, a spin-off company of the same Faculty.