Why urban Indians are interested in an internet based self-care app for depression? a brief pilot survey

Abstract

Background: Digital technology has emerged as a powerful approach to bridge treatment gap in the field of mental health. However, public health impact of e-interventions is unlikely without large scale uptake of such services. Hence it becomes important to understand motives of potential users in order to design programs that address such needs as well as disseminate information about the same in ways that appeal to the users. Methods: Reasons underlying interest in an internet based self-care program for depression were explored through a brief survey of potential users who had explicitly shown interest in such a program. Responses to an online survey were received from 120 respondents out of which about 69% were in 18-35 years of age-range and 12% were above 50 years of age. Results: Preference for flexibility in terms of ‘when I do things to help myself’, ‘not having time to go for face to face counselling/therapy’ and ‘wanting to learn and do something to prevent problems in future even though I am currently on treatment’ emerged as the top 3 reasons underlying interest in internet based self-help programs for depression. Not having the finances to seek face to face mental health consultation emerged as one of the top 3 reasons in the older group. Conclusions: Incorporating maximal flexibility, providing pointers to the most relevant components thereby minimizing time required, and focusing on preventive strategies (even for those who are currently seeking treatment) are aspects that need to be considered in development and dissemination of internet based self-help programs for depression in urban India.

Development and Pilot Testing of an Internet-Based Self-Help Intervention for Depression for Indian Users

“…Additional data from the participants in terms of intention as well as application of what was learned to varying extent, average time spent on the program and self-reported gains are encouraging. Even when applicable or utilized by only a segment of the population, it still has a potential to reducing overall treatment gap for depression in acountry with a scarcity of trained professionals, as well as low rates of people seeking professional help due to factors such as stigma [ 32 , 41 , 56 ]. The PUSH-D trial examined its potential use as a first line of management for depression and dysthymia in line with a stepped-care approach.…”

“…About two-thirds of the seekers of PUSH-D on whom initial screening and assessments were carried out were treatment naïve and had never sought professional consultation. Reasons for not seeking professional help ranged from lack of awareness about the nature of the problem as well as services, timeconstraints and stigma [ 32 , 41 ].…”

“…Relatively very little is known about how internet-based methods of delivery of psychological interventions may be received and used in non-Western cultures by individuals for whom they are designed [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. A broad scan of literature indicated that although several papers have been published in the last few years on the scope of digital mental health in India, there is a significant dearth of empirical research on internet-based interventions for mental health in the Indian context [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

Indian higher education and youth mental health: Challenges and opportunities

“…The digital pathway is another underutilized route to address unmet mental health needs in Indian IHE. Despite good internet penetration, high engagement of youth in online platforms, and the potential flexibility and appeal of digital health tools, there is a scarcity of research-backed mental health tools developed by or in collaboration with mental health professionals in India [ 13 ]. Their scalability and acceptability potential are tremendous and need to be optimally utilized.…”

Profile of seekers of an internet-based self-help program for depression in India: observations and implications

“…Individuals showing inclination to use internet based selfhelp intervention in urban India report various reasons such as preference for flexibility of use, time constraints, desire to learn ways to prevent problems in future, perception of one's problem as low in severity and lack of access to mental health services that make a program like PUSH-D, a preferred option. 38…”