Role of social media and the I nternet in pathways to care for adolescents and young adults with psychotic disorders and non‐psychotic mood disorders

Michael Leo Birnbaum · Asra F. Rizvi · Christoph Ulrich Correll · John Michael Kane · Jamie Confino

138 citations0/0 files storedEarly Intervention in Psychiatry

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Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mental Health Treatment and Access Health Literacy and Information Accessibility

Abstract

AIMS: Although psychosis often occurs during adolescence, there has been little research on how the ubiquitously used Internet and social media could impact pathways to care. We examined how youth with psychotic spectrum disorders (PSD) versus non-psychotic mood disorders (NPMD) use online resources in the early illness stages. METHODS: Social media use and pathways to care data were collected using a semi-structured interview from 80 youth (PSD = 40 and NPMD = 40) aged 12-21 years within 2 years of symptom onset. RESULTS: A total of 97.5% of participants (mean age = 18.3 years) regularly used social media, spending approximately 2.6 ± 2.5 h per day online. There were 22.4% of our sample (PSD = 19.4%, NPMD = 25.0%, P = 0.56) who reported waiting to reach out for help believing that symptoms would disappear. A total of 76.5% (PSD = 67.5%, NPMD = 85.0%, P = 0.06) noticed social media habit changes during symptom emergence. Thirty per cent reported discussing their symptoms on social media (PSD = 22.5%, NPMD = 37.5%, P = 0.14). NPMD patients sought information most on how to stop symptoms (40.0% vs. 13.5%, P = 0.01), while PSD youth were more commonly interested in what caused their symptoms (21.6% vs. 15.0%, P = 0.45). More PSD patients (42.9% vs. 25.0%, P = 0.10) would prefer to receive mental health information via the Internet. Altogether, 63.6% (PSD = 64.9%, NPMD = 62.5%, P = 0.83) were amenable to clinicians proactively approaching them via social media during symptom emergence. A total of 74.3% (PSD = 78.4%, NPMD = 70.0%, P = 0.40) liked the idea of obtaining help/advice from professionals via social media. CONCLUSIONS: The Internet and social media provide an unparalleled opportunity to supplement and potentially transform early intervention services, and acceptance of this approach appears to be high.

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References

2013Personal stigma in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a systematic review of prevalence rates, correlates, impact and interventions 2014Using technology to deliver mental health services to children and youth: a scoping review.2010The pathways to mental health care of first-episode psychosis patients: a systematic review 2012Determinants of negative pathways to care and their impact on service disengagement in first-episode psychosis 2012Internet-Based Interventions for Psychosis 2012Mobile psychiatry: towards improving the care for bipolar disorder

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