Qualitative study of the impact on recovery of peer relationships between female inpatients during treatment for anorexia nervosa in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: Admissions to hospitals for people with anorexia nervosa (AN) often last over 2 months, during which significant time is often spent with other patients, but there is little qualitative research on the impact on recovery of the inter-patient relationships. Our aim was to conduct qualitative interviews with people with a history of inpatient treatment for AN, focusing on the impact of interactions and relationships between patients during hospital admission on recovery, including short-term and long-term effects. METHOD: We conducted nine semi-structured, one-to-one interviews, specifically exploring the helpful and unhelpful aspects of inter-patient relationships during inpatient treatment for AN. No type of relationship was either included or excluded. Participants were recruited as volunteers in response to an online advertisement; all who met the eligibility criteria were selected. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Thematic analysis identified five themes: (1) comparison and justification, (2) learnt unhelpful behaviors, (3) dealing with distress, (4) compassion, and (5) role-modeling. All participants expressed conflicting feelings about their relationships with other patients, but generally described developing more resilience to negative effects as they got closer to recovery. Positive effects, such as compassion, appeared to hold significance long term in participants' recovered lives. DISCUSSION: The detailed exploration of themes in this study provides a deeper understanding of inter-patient relationships during inpatient treatment for AN. This could aid clinical decision-making when choosing appropriate treatment settings for individual patients as well as informing clinical practice in hospital. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study closely examines the effect on recovery of relationships with other patients during hospital treatment for AN, a severe eating disorder. Findings might help hospital staff to understand the feelings of those they look after and develop ways to protect patients from the negative effects of peer relationships and enhance the positive ones, to support recovery in hospital.

The positive and negative consequences of stress and its relationship with coping in medical students: A qualitative study.

Rates of mental health problems among medical students have prompted efforts to reduce stress during medical training. However, stress can be motivating and is a feature of clinical work. This qualitative study explores what makes an experience stressful, and how medical students respond to such experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 medical students. Experiences were distressing when they threatened students' self-perception, goals or coping mechanisms, or when they reminded the student of distressing past events. Moderate stress was motivating and could build resilience. Students selected coping mechanisms based on their availability, acceptability, likely outcome and their previous experience of using these mechanisms. Social support, extra-curricular activities and exercise were helpful. High levels of distress, poor self-esteem and course factors, including remote placements, impaired engagement with coping strategies. Perception of stressors as being insurmountable or beyond one's control, led to increasing distress and the adoption of avoidant coping strategies. University strategies need to consider the beneficial effects of stress and seek to bolster coping resources as well as minimising unnecessary sources of stress.

Emotional dysregulation in childhood and disordered eating and self-harm in adolescence: prospective associations and mediating pathways.

BACKGROUND: Emotional dysregulation may be a risk factor for disordered eating and self-harm in young people, but few prospective studies have assessed these associations long-term, or considered potential mediators. We examined prospective relationships between childhood emotional dysregulation and disordered eating and self-harm in adolescence; and social cognition, emotional recognition, and being bullied as mediators. METHODS: We analysed Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children data on 3,453 males and 3,481 females. We examined associations between emotional dysregulation at 7 years and any disordered eating and any self-harm at 16 years with probit regression models. We also assessed whether social cognition (7 years), emotional recognition (8 years) and bullying victimisation (11 years) mediated these relationships. RESULTS: Emotional dysregulation at age 7 years was associated with disordered eating [fully adjusted probit B (95% CI) = 0.082 (0.029, 0.134)] and self-harm [fully adjusted probit B (95% CI) = 0.093 (0.036, 0.150)] at age 16 years. There was no evidence of sex interactions or difference in effects between self-harm and disordered eating. Mediation models found social cognition was a key pathway to disordered eating (females 51.2%; males 27.0% of total effect) and self-harm (females 15.7%; males 10.8% of total effect). Bullying victimisation was an important pathway to disordered eating (females 17.1%; males 10.0% of total effect), but only to self-harm in females (15.7% of total effect). Indirect effects were stronger for disordered eating than self-harm. CONCLUSIONS: In males and females, emotional dysregulation in early childhood is associated with disordered eating and self-harm in adolescence and may be a useful target for prevention and treatment. Mediating pathways appeared to differ by sex and outcome, but social cognition was a key mediating pathway for both disordered eating and self-harm.

Notifying university students' emergency contacts in mental health emergencies: Multi-year analysis of student consent policy preferences.

Information sharing is a frequently discussed yet divisive suicide prevention strategy in universities. This study aimed to investigate which students are most and least likely to opt-in to university permission to notify an emergency contact if there are serious concerns about their mental health. Routine cross-sectional data were obtained from 29,799 students in 2020 and 31,998 students in 2021 within a UK university. The proportion of students opting-in to a 'consent to contact policy' across years was summarised descriptively. Multiple logistic regression models examined the odds of students opting-in dependent on student characteristics (probable clinical depression, age, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, home/international student status, disability, study mode and level of study). Most students opted-in to the policy in 2020 (91.2%, n = 27,146) and 2021 (90.4%, n = 28,912). Probable clinical depression (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.54 to 0.72) and gender identity different from sex (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.44 to 0.90) had the strongest associations with not opting-in in 2020. Identifying as male, lesbian/gay/bisexual, Asian ethnicity, declaring a disability, and being a taught postgraduate student were also predictive of not opting-in. These results were replicated in the 2021 dataset. Some of the most vulnerable students appear least likely to opt-in. Insights are offered about potential gaps in universities' access to emergency contacts to prevent serious harm or loss of life. Further research is required into why the groups identified in this study are less likely to opt-in and what additional support they may require.

"Pouring their heart out in Sainsbury's": qualitative study of young people's, parents' and mental health practitioners' experiences of adapting to remote online mental health appointments during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, technologies such as videoconferencing were used to deliver mental health appointments remotely online. For many people, this was a change from previous methods of mental healthcare receipt and delivery. We aimed to explore in-depth how practitioners, young people and parents in the UK experienced this transition. METHODS: We used qualitative methods to collect data, triangulating between free-text online survey data (n = 38), focus groups (n = 5) (3 young adult groups (total n = 11); 2 practitioner groups (total n = 7)), and semi-structured interviews (practitioners n = 8; parents n = 4). Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants held mixed views about remote appointments, which were encompassed within the five themes of: home as clinic; disrupted therapeutic relationships; difficulties with engagement; uncontained risk; and scope of care provision. While appointments at home could be regarded as more comfortable, naturalistic and accessible, it was also recognised that remoteness compromised practitioner control with consequences for their ability to monitor patient engagement, manage risk and ensure confidentiality when others were present in the home. This could create an additional burden for parents as they tried to facilitate appointments but felt unsupported in this role. Relatedly, remoteness was seen to hinder interpersonal communication, formation of trust, communication of empathy and opportunities to observe body language, all of which were deemed important to building and maintaining effective therapeutic relationships. Despite this, others thought the anonymity of a remote exchange may allow earlier disclosure. There was disagreement as to whether remote provision narrowed or expanded the scope of practice. CONCLUSIONS: While some had positive views of remote mental health appointments, others found them challenging. Findings highlight key areas requiring attention and mitigation in future offerings of remote provision, namely: risk management, parental burden, and problematic engagement.

Developing good practice indicators to assist mental health practitioners to converse with young people about their online activities and impact on mental health: a two-panel mixed-methods Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: Online activity has been linked to poor mental health in children and young people, particularly those with existing vulnerability who may inadvertently or otherwise access harmful content. It is suggested health and social care practitioners should address online activity during mental health consultations, but guidance about acceptable or effective ways to do this is lacking. This study sought to derive good practice guidance to support mental health practitioners to engage young people in conversations about their online activities and impact on mental health. METHODS: A mixed-methods Delphi (consensus) study was conducted with a panel of mental health practitioners (n = 21) and a panel of young people (n = 22). Practitioners worked with children or young adults in the UK, mostly in statutory services (80.9%), in varied clinical roles, with 2 - 30 years of experience and most were female (87.5%). Young people were mostly female (77.3%), 13-22 years old, reported varied mental health diagnoses and had sought help from services. Across 3 rounds, panellists completed questionnaires which involved rating agreement with statements and answering open-ended questions. Iterative analysis informed subsequent questionnaire content. The percentage of participants rating their level of agreement with each statement was calculated. The threshold for inclusion as a good practice indicator (GPI) was 75% across both panels. Thematic analysis was used for free-text data. RESULTS: Twenty-seven GPIs emerged covering 'who' (which young people) should be asked about online activities, 'when', 'what' should be discussed, and with what 'outcome'. Panels agreed conversations should be initiated with all young people from first meeting and regularly thereafter, with 'red flags' indicating a conversation may be pertinent. Core topics were identified with additional areas for patients presenting with disordered eating or self-harm. Panels emphasised conversations should be fluid, normalised, and encourage reflection and self-awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health practitioners could empower young people to exercise agency in relation to online safety and capitalise on positive features. Findings also identify training needs for practitioners. Further research should explore real-world application of the GPIs and transferability to underrepresented groups within our panels, such as males and younger children. Ethnicity and deprivation were not recorded.

Suicidality in family caregivers of people with long-term illnesses and disabilities: A scoping review.

An emerging body of international research suggests family caregivers may be a high-risk group for suicide, but the evidence has not been synthesised. Forty-eight peer-reviewed journal articles were included in this review, spanning low-, middle-, and high-income countries and a variety of illnesses and disabilities. The proportion of caregivers experiencing suicidal ideation ranged from 2.7% to 71%, with evidence of suicide attempts, deaths by suicide, and deaths by homicide-suicide also reported. Risk and protective factors varied across studies and there was little consideration of differences by caregiving relationship, type of illness/disability, or country. There is sufficient evidence to warrant concern for caregivers around the world and prompt action in policy and practice, but more rigorous research is required to draw clear, nuanced conclusions about risk and inform evidence-based prevention and intervention.

Conversations between women with vulval lichen sclerosus: a thematic analysis of online forums.

BACKGROUND: Vulval lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a common condition. Despite this, there is a paucity of research investigating the impact on women's lives. Some women with VLS utilise online forums to discuss their priorities and concerns. This dialogue gives insight into the experiences of women living with VLS. METHODS: We identified the most popular public forums containing discussions between women with VLS. Inductive, thematic analysis was applied to 202 online posts spanning a six-year period. RESULTS: Five key themes were identified. Theme 1 pertained to difficulties with diagnosis. Women experience frequent delays and misdiagnosis. They report health care professionals (HCPs) with poor knowledge of their condition and some that were dismissive of their symptoms. Upon diagnosis women expressed relief and frustration. Theme 2 related to rationalisation and validation of their experience. Women expressed a desire to know why they were affected, what caused their symptoms and gain reassurance. Theme 3 dealt with women's motivation to control their condition. Women want to know what triggers a flare-up so they can limit their relapses. They want to self-manage their condition and have an active role in partnership with HCPs. Theme 4 related to women sharing and seeking advice from the forums. The lived experiences of other women is valued by fellow sufferers. In particular, women are keen to try other treatments, conventional and alternative. The final theme related to the social repercussions of the condition. Sociocultural factors may prevent women from talking about their condition to friends, family and HCPs. They feel embarrassed by their symptoms. Some women reported relationship breakdown as a repercussion of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Improving the knowledge of HCPs with regards to VLS may reduce problems with diagnosis. In addition, delivering improved women's health education in schools may reduce the taboo attached to women's health. This may empower women to talk about their condition and seek help sooner. Once diagnosed, clinicians with the appropriate expertise should care for women with VLS. Women should be encouraged to take an active role in managing their condition in partnership with clinicians. Future research priorities include identifying the aetiology, triggers for flare-ups and novel therapies.

Theorising health professionals' prevention and management practices with children and young people experiencing self-harm: a qualitative hospital-based case study.

Self-harm in young people remains a significant concern. Studies of emergency departments have centred on negative professional attitudes. There has been limited interrogation and theorisation of what drives such attitudes, and the contexts that sustain them. Adopting a complex systems lens, this study aimed to explore how systems shape professional and patient interactions. It draws upon interviews with healthcare and affiliated professionals (n = 14) in a UK case study hospital, with primary focus on the emergency department. Data were analysed using a thematic approach and the principles of grounded theory. Four themes emerged, with the first three centralising how professionals' practices operate within: (1) a framework of risk management; (2) expectations of progressing patients through the care pathway; and (3) a culture of specialist expertise, with resulting uncertainty about who is responsible for self-harm. The fourth theme considers barriers to system change. A small number of participants described efforts to enact positive modifications to practices, but these were frustrated by entrenched system structures. The potential detrimental impacts for patient care and professional wellbeing are considered. Future practice needs systemic action to support professionals in treating patients experiencing self-harm, while future research requires more ethnographic explorations of the complex system in situ.

Investigating the Use of Electronic Well-being Diaries Completed Within a Psychoeducation Program for University Students: Longitudinal Text Analysis Study.

BACKGROUND: Psychoeducation has the potential to support students experiencing distress and help meet the demand for support; however, there is a need to understand how these programs are experienced. Web-based diaries are a useful activity for psychoeducation because of their therapeutic benefits, ability to capture naturalistic data relevant to well-being, and appropriateness for text analysis methods. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine how university students use electronic diaries within a psychoeducation program designed to enhance mental well-being. METHODS: The Science of Happiness course was administered to 154 undergraduate students in a university setting (the United Kingdom). Diaries were collected from the students for 9 weeks. Baseline well-being data were collected using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). The percentage of negative and positive emotion words used in diaries (emotional tone) and use of words from five life domains (social, work, money, health, and leisure) were calculated using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2015 software. Random effects (generalized least squares) regression models were estimated to examine whether time, diary characteristics, demographics, and baseline well-being predict the emotional tone of diaries. RESULTS: A total of 149 students participated in the diary study, producing 1124 individual diary entries. Compliance with the diary task peaked in week 1 (n=1041, 92.62%) and was at its lowest in week 3 (n=807, 71.81%). Compared with week 1, diaries were significantly more positive in their emotional tone during week 5 (mean difference 23.90, 95% CI 16.89-30.90) and week 6 (mean difference 26.62, 95% CI 19.35-33.88) when students were tasked with writing about gratitude and their strengths. Across weeks, moderate and high baseline SWEMWBS scores were associated with a higher percentage of positive emotion words used in diaries (increases compared with students scoring low in SWEMWBS were 5.03, 95% CI 0.08-9.98 and 7.48, 95% CI 1.84-13.12, respectively). At week 1, the diaries of students with the highest levels of baseline well-being (82.92, 95% CI 73.08-92.76) were more emotionally positive on average than the diaries of students with the lowest levels of baseline well-being (59.38, 95% CI 51.02-67.73). Diaries largely focused on the use of social words. The emotional tone of diary entries was positively related to the use of leisure (3.56, 95% CI 2.28-4.85) and social words (0.74, 95% CI 0.21-1.27), and inversely related to the use of health words (-1.96, 95% CI -3.70 to -0.22). CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence for short-term task-specific spikes in the emotional positivity of web-based diary entries and recommend future studies examine the possibility of long-term impacts on the writing and well-being of students. With student well-being strategies in mind, universities should value and encourage leisure and social activities.

"Crazy person is crazy person. It doesn't differentiate": an exploration into Somali views of mental health and access to healthcare in an established UK Somali community.

BACKGROUND: Mental health conditions have been shown to disproportionately affect those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Somali communities globally have relatively high levels of mental illness, but low levels of mental health service use, with numerous barriers to care identified. This study was conducted in an established UK Somali community in the South West of England and aimed to explore community beliefs and views about the causes of mental illness, treatment for mental illness, and access to medical services in general. Participants were asked about how mental health and illness are understood and conceptualised, along with the cultural meaning of mental illness and its manifestations in relation to men, women and young people. DESIGN: Using a community-based participatory research design, in partnership with local Somali community organisations, the research team conducted four focus groups with a total of 23 participants aged over 18. Open-ended questions were used to facilitate discussion. Transcripts were analysed thematically. RESULTS: The participants discussed the role of migration and associated stress from the civil war and how that could contribute to mental illness. Participants tended to view the symptoms of mental illness as physical manifestations such as headaches and to describe a strong community stigma where those with mental health conditions were viewed as "crazy" by others. Barriers to accessing healthcare included language barriers, waiting times and a mistrust of doctors. Various ideas for improvements were discussed, including ideas to reduce stigma and ideas for community initiatives. CONCLUSION: Cultural considerations and reducing stigma are vital in improving understanding of mental illness and improving access to mental health services, along with building relationships and trust between the Somali community and health care workers.

Online help for people with suicidal thoughts provided by charities and healthcare organisations: a qualitative study of users' perceptions.

PURPOSE: Internet use is common among people with suicidal feelings and a considerable amount of suicide help material is available online. Despite attempts to promote formal help sites (e.g. governmental and charity sector) in internet search results, users' evaluation of these sites is lacking. This study, therefore, aimed to explore distressed users' perceptions of formal online help and their experiences of using this in times of crisis. METHODS: In-depth interview study of 53 adults reporting suicide-related internet use. RESULTS: While highly valued in relation to general mental health problems, formal sites were not perceived to meet the different needs of those experiencing suicidal thoughts, and did not engage individuals in crisis. Sites were criticised for being impersonal, dispassionate, too focused on information-giving, and lacking solutions that were novel or sensitive to reasons why an individual may choose to seek help online. Most participants criticised the tendency for sites to signpost to offline services as their primary response. Participants desired immediacy and responsive online help incorporating 'live chat', self-help tools, opportunities to interact with others and lived-experience content. Positive accounts of seeking online help described sites incorporating these features. CONCLUSIONS: Formal online help services should be reappraised to ensure they meet users' needs for immediacy and responsive help to capitalise upon the opportunity available for suicide prevention.

Patients' Experiences of Emergency Hospital Care Following Self-Harm: Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Research.

Rates of hospital presentation for self-harm have increased in recent years, and although clinical practice guidelines on clinical provision prioritize positive patient experiences, the quality of provision remains variable. This systematic review provides an updated and extended synthesis of qualitative research on the following: (a) patients' experiences of treatment following presentation to hospital; and (b) patients' perceptions of the impact of treatment on recurrent self-harm and/or suicidal ideation, and future help-seeking. Twenty-six studies were identified for inclusion in the final synthesis. Three meta-themes emerged: (a) individuals undertake extensive identity work when presenting with self-harm, navigating the process of becoming a patient, and negotiating the type of patient they want to be; (b) care ranges from gentle to hostile, with care at admission and discharge being particularly disorientating; and (c) negative experiences of clinical treatment may increase future self-harm. Emerging research gaps include the need for further theoretically informed qualitative research in this area.

The Journey of Engaging With Web-Based Self-Harm and Suicide Content: Longitudinal Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Self-harm and suicide are major public health concerns worldwide, with attention focused on the web environment as a helpful or harmful influence. Longitudinal research on self-harm and suicide-related internet use is limited, highlighting a paucity of evidence on long-term patterns and effects of engaging with such content. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the experiences of people engaging with self-harm or suicide content over a 6-month period. METHODS: This study used qualitative and digital ethnographic methods longitudinally, including one-to-one interviews at 3 time points to explore individual narratives. A trajectory analysis approach involving 4 steps was used to interpret the data. RESULTS: The findings from 14 participants established the web-based journey of people who engage with self-harm or suicide content. In total, 5 themes were identified: initial interactions with self-harm or suicide content, changes in what self-harm or suicide content people engage with and where, changes in experiences of self-harm or suicide behaviors associated with web-based self-harm or suicide content engagement, the disengagement-reengagement cycle, and future perspectives on web-based self-harm or suicide content engagement. Initial engagements were driven by participants seeking help, often when offline support had been unavailable. Some participants' exposure to self-harm and suicide content led to their own self-harm and suicide behaviors, with varying patterns of change over time. Notably, disengagement from web-based self-harm and suicide spaces served as a protective measure for all participants, but the pull of familiar content resulted in only brief periods of disconnection. Participants also expressed future intentions to continue returning to these self-harm and suicide web-based spaces, acknowledging the nonlinear nature of their own recovery journey and aiming to support others in the community. Within the themes identified in this study, narratives revealed that participants' behavior was shaped by cognitive flexibility and rigidity, metacognitive abilities, and digital expertise. Opportunities for behavior change arose during periods of cognitive flexibility prompted by life events, stressors, and shifts in mental health. Participants sought diverse and potentially harmful content during challenging times but moved toward recovery-oriented engagements in positive circumstances. Metacognitive and digital efficacy skills also played a pivotal role in participants' control of web-based interactions, enabling more effective management of content or platforms or sites that posed potential harms. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the complexity of web-based interactions, with beneficial and harmful content intertwined. Participants who demonstrated metacognition and digital efficacy had better control over web-based engagements. Some attributed these skills to study processes, including taking part in reflective diaries, showing the potential of upskilling users. This study also highlighted how participants remained vulnerable by engaging with familiar web-based spaces, emphasizing the responsibility of web-based industry leaders to develop tools that empower users to enhance their web-based safety.

Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Parents Caring for Children with Disabilities and Long-Term Illnesses.

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing body of evidence on suicide risk in family carers, but minimal research on parents caring for children with disabilities and long-term illnesses. The aim of this study was to conduct the first dedicated research on suicide risk in parent carers and identify: (1) the number of parent carers experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and (2) the risk and protective factors for suicidality in this population. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of parent carers in England (n = 750), co-produced with parent carers. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors were measured with questions from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. Frequencies summarized the proportion of carers experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Logistic regressions identified risk and protective factors. RESULTS: 42% of parents had experienced suicidal thoughts and behaviors while caring for a disabled or chronically ill child. Only half had sought help for these experiences. Depression, entrapment, dysfunctional coping, and having a mental health diagnosis prior to caring, were significant risk factors. CONCLUSION: Parent carers contemplate suicide at levels that exceed those of other family carers and the general public. There is an urgent need, in policy and practice, to recognize parent carers as a priority group for prevention and intervention.

This is the first dedicated study of suicide risk in parent carers.More than 40% of parents had considered suicide while caring for a disabled or chronically ill child.The risk factors for suicidal ideation in parent carers were depression, entrapment, dysfunctional coping strategies, and having a mental health diagnosis prior to becoming a carer.Parent carers may be a high-risk group for suicide and need urgent support.

Developing Suicide Prevention Tools in the Context of Digital Peer Support: Qualitative Analysis of a Workshop With Multidisciplinary Stakeholders.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years worldwide and suicide rates are increasing. Suicide prevention strategies can be effective but young people face barriers to accessing them. Providing support digitally can facilitate access, but this can also pose risks if there is inappropriate or harmful content. Collaborative approaches are key for developing digital suicide prevention tools to ensure support is appropriate and helpful for young people. Tellmi (previously MeeToo) is a premoderated UK-based peer-support app where people aged 11-25 years can anonymously discuss issues ranging from worries to life challenges. It has procedures to support high-risk users, nevertheless, Tellmi is interested in improving the support they provide to users with more acute mental health needs, such as young people struggling with suicide and self-harm ideation. Further research into the best ways of providing such support for this population is necessary. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the key considerations for developing and delivering digital suicide prevention tools for young people aged 18-25 years from a multidisciplinary perspective, including the views of young people, practitioners, and academics. METHODS: A full-day, in-person workshop was conducted with mental health academics (n=3) and mental health practitioners (n=2) with expertise in suicide prevention, young people with lived experience of suicidal ideation (n=4), and a computer scientist (n=1) and technical staff from the Tellmi app (n=6). Tellmi technical staff presented 14 possible evidence-based adaptations for the app as a basis for the discussions. A range of methods were used to evaluate them, including questionnaires to rate the ideas, annotating printouts of the ideas with post-it notes, and group discussions. A reflexive thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data to explore key considerations for designing digital suicide prevention tools in the context of peer support. RESULTS: Participants discussed the needs of both those receiving and providing support, noting several key considerations for developing and delivering digital support for high-risk young people. In total, four themes were developed: (1) the aims of the app must be clear and consistent, (2) there are unique considerations for supporting high-risk users: (subtheme) customization helps tailor support to high-risk users, (3) "progress" is a broad and multifaceted concept, and (4) considering the roles of those providing support: (subtheme) expertise required to support app users and (subtheme) mitigating the impact of the role on supporters. CONCLUSIONS: This study outlined suggestions that may be beneficial for developing digital suicide prevention tools for young people. Suggestions included apps being customizable, transparent, accessible, visually appealing, and working with users to develop content and language. Future research should further explore this with a diverse group of young people and clinicians.

Investigating How People Who Self-harm Evaluate Web-Based Lived Experience Stories: Focus Group Study.

BACKGROUND: The positive and negative effects of interacting with web-based content on mental health, and especially self-harm, are well documented. Lived experience stories are one such type of static web-based content, frequently published on health care or third-sector organization websites, as well as social media and blogs, as a form of support for those seeking help via the web. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to increase understanding about how people who self-harm engage with and evaluate web-based lived experience stories. METHODS: Overall, 4 web-based focus groups were conducted with 13 people with recent self-harm experience (aged 16-40 years). In total, 3 example lived experience stories were read aloud to participants, who were then asked to share their reactions to the stories. Participants were also encouraged to reflect on stories previously encountered on the web. Data were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Overall, 5 themes were generated: stories of recovery from self-harm and their emotional impact, impact on self-help and help-seeking behaviors, identifying with the narrator, authenticity, and language and stereotyping. CONCLUSIONS: Lived experience stories published on the web can provide a valuable form of support for those experiencing self-harm. They can be motivating and empowering for the reader, and they have the potential to distract readers from urges to self-harm. However, these effects may be moderated by age, and narratives of recovery may demoralize older readers. Our findings have implications for organizations publishing lived experience content and for community guidelines and moderators of web-based forums in which users share their stories. These include the need to consider the narrator's age and the relatability and authenticity of their journey and the need to avoid using stigmatizing language.

Mental Health Practitioners' and Young People's Experiences of Talking About Social Media During Mental Health Consultations: Qualitative Focus Group and Interview Study.

BACKGROUND: Increasing concerns among mental health care professionals have focused on the impact of young people's use of digital technology and social media on their mental well-being. It has been recommended that the use of digital technology and social media be routinely explored during mental health clinical consultations with young people. Whether these conversations occur and how they are experienced by both clinicians and young people are currently unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore mental health practitioners' and young people's experiences of talking about young people's web-based activities related to their mental health during clinical consultations. Web-based activities include use of social media, websites, and messaging. Our aim was to identify barriers to effective communication and examples of good practice. In particular, we wanted to obtain the views of young people, who are underrepresented in studies, on their social media and digital technology use related to mental health. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using focus groups (11 participants across 3 groups) with young people aged 16 to 24 years and interviews (n=8) and focus groups (7 participants across 2 groups) with mental health practitioners in the United Kingdom. Young people had experience of mental health problems and support provided by statutory mental health services or third-sector organizations. Practitioners worked in children and young people's mental health services, statutory services, or third-sector organizations such as a university counseling service. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Practitioners and young people agreed that talking about young people's web-based activities and their impact on mental health is important. Mental health practitioners varied in their confidence in doing this and were keen to have more guidance. Young people said that practitioners seldom asked about their web-based activities, but when asked, they often felt judged or misunderstood. This stopped them from disclosing difficult web-based experiences and precluded useful conversations about web-based safety and how to access appropriate web-based support. Young people supported the idea of guidance or training for practitioners and were enthusiastic about sharing their experiences and being involved in the training or guidance provided to practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners would benefit from structured guidance and professional development to enable them to support young people in feeling more willing to disclose and talk about their web-based experiences and their impact on their mental health. This is reflected in practitioners' desire for guidance to improve their confidence and skills to safely support young people in navigating the challenges of the web-based world. Young people want to feel comfortable discussing their web-based activities during their consultations with mental health practitioners, both in tackling the challenges and using the opportunity to discuss their experiences, gain support, and develop coping strategies related to web-based safety.

Digital Technology Use and Mental Health Consultations: Survey of the Views and Experiences of Clinicians and Young People.

BACKGROUND: Digital technologies play an increasingly important role in the lives of young people and have important effects on their mental health. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore 3 key areas of the intersection between digital technology and mental health: the views and experiences of young people and clinicians about digital technology and mental health; implementation and barriers to the UK national guidance recommendation-that the discussion of digital technology use should form a core part of mental health assessment; and how digital technology might be used to support existing consultations. METHODS: Two cross-sectional web-based surveys were conducted in 2020 between June and December, with mental health clinicians (n=99) and young people (n=320). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the proportions. Multilinear regression was used to explore how the answers varied by gender, sexuality, and age. Thematic analysis was used to explore the contents of the extended free-text answers. Anxiety was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 (GAD-7). RESULTS: Digital technology use was ubiquitous among young people, with positive and negative aspects acknowledged by both clinicians and young people. Negative experiences were common (131/284, 46.1%) and were associated with increased anxiety levels among young people (GAD-7 3.29; 95% CI 1.97-4.61; P<.001). Although the discussion of digital technology use was regarded as important by clinicians and acceptable by young people, less than half of clinicians (42/85, 49.4%) routinely asked about the use of digital technology and over a third of young people (48/121, 39.6%) who had received mental health care had never been asked about their digital technology use. The conversations were often experienced as unhelpful. Helpful conversations were characterized by greater depth and exploration of how an individual's digital technology use related to mental health. Despite most clinicians (59/83, 71.1%) wanting training, very few (21/86, 24.4%) reported receiving training. Clinicians were open to viewing mental health data from apps or social media to help with consultations. Although young people were generally, in theory, comfortable sharing such data with health professionals, when presented with a binary choice, most reported not wanting to share social media (84/117, 71.8%) or app data (67/118, 56.8%) during consultations. CONCLUSIONS: Digital technology use was common, and negative experiences were frequent and associated with anxiety. Over a third of young people were not asked about their digital technology use during mental health consultations, and potentially valuable information about relevant negative experiences on the web was not being captured during consultations. Clinicians would benefit from having access to training to support these discussions with young people. Although young people recognized that app data could be helpful to clinicians, they appeared hesitant to share their own data. This finding suggests that data sharing has barriers that need to be further explored.