Early Warning Signs of a Mental Health Tsunami: A Coordinated Response to Gather Initial Data Insights From Multiple Digital Services Providers

Abstract

Introduction: The immediate impact of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) on morbidity and mortality has raised the need for accurate and real-time data monitoring and communication. The aim of this study is to document the initial observations from multiple digital services providers during the COVID-19 crisis, especially those related to mental health and well-being.Methods: We used email and social media to announce an urgent call for support. Digital mental health services providers (N = 46), financial services providers (N = 4), and other relevant digital data source providers (N = 3) responded with quantitative and/or qualitative data insights. People with lived experience of distress, as service users/consumers, and carers are included as co-authors.Results: This study provides proof-of-concept of the viability for researchers and private companies to work collaboratively toward a common good. Digital services providers reported a diverse range of mental health concerns. A recurring observation is that demand for digital mental health support has risen, and that the nature of this demand has also changed since COVID-19, with an apparent increased presentation of anxiety and loneliness.Conclusion: Following this study, we will continue to work with providers in more in-depth ways to capture follow-up insights at regular time points. We will also onboard new providers to address data representativeness. Looking ahead, we anticipate the need for a rigorous process to interpret insights from an even wider variety of sources in order to monitor and respond to mental health needs.

Mental Health and the Perceived Usability of Digital Mental Health Tools Among Essential Workers and People Unemployed Due to COVID-19: Cross-sectional Survey Study

“…A strength of this study is that we explicitly asked a large sample of users about their app preferences and perceived importance of various features. This survey was different from previous studies that have primarily focused on downloads and user metrics [ 48 ], insight from providers and private digital health companies [ 56 ], and self-report from individuals exclusively with mild depression or mild anxiety symptoms with exclusion of severer mental health conditions (eg, suicidality) [ 43 ]. It is also novel in its consideration of user-centered design principles (eg, ease of use and learnability) when developing and identifying DMHT features that would be most acceptable to a very large sample of potential target consumers.…”

Learning Language and Multimodal Privacy-Preserving Markers of Mood from Mobile Data

“…In addition to deaths, 16% of high school students report having serious suicidal thoughts each year, and 8% of them make one or more suicide attempts (CDC, 2015). This problem is particularly exacerbated as an "echo pandemic" of mental health problems have arisen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (Inkster et al, 2021;Saha et al, 2020).…”

Cybersecurity: A Critical Priority for Digital Mental Health

“…The pandemic has brought a profound shift toward the digital provision of mental health support 4 , albeit with some exceptions (e.g., it was ruled illegal to section someone under the Mental Health Act using remote video consultations in the UK). [18][19] In April 2020, an FDA regulatory change allowed digital mental health providers to bypass certain processes.…”

“…3 In January 2021 alone, a total of 878.17 million data records have been compromised worldwide, which is more than in all of 2017. 3 The pandemic has accelerated the global adoption of digital mental health services 4 , but this growth in supply and demand could increase the exposure of sensitive data to cybersecurity threats and attacks. Several highprofile cyberattacks have already targeted mental health and behavioural services providers.…”