How the ZDOROVI psychological support project helps healthcare workers maintain their mental resilience We are used to seeing healthcare workers as the ones who hold everything together — even during ...

In a world where homelessness isn't just about missing a roof but also losing your sanity, Elvira's inspiring journey proves a supportive shoulder can turn a kitchen nightmare into a gourmet comeback!

Los Angeles wildfires highlight the need for emotional resilience, community connection, and compassionate leadership to navigate grief and recovery.

On April 7, a roundtable discussion titled “The Patient’s Voice: Experience, Trust, and Responsible Treatment” was held in Kyiv as part of ZDOROVI’s advocacy project Conscious Choice. Representatives ...

Letter: Stephen Smith says psychological support must be embedded in academies for young players right from the outset

Join us in this two-day course, designed for registered staff of any profession.  The need for holistic support to address the psychosocial impact for people with long term conditions, features in NHS...

Background: Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) aim to provide psychological support during critical moments in daily life. Objective: This preregistered study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a social support JITAI for individuals with subclinical and clinical levels of #depressive symptoms awaiting psychotherapy. Triggered by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) reports, the intervention encouraged participants to activate their (#Digital) social support networks. Methods: A total of 25 participants completed 2689 EMA surveys and received 377 JITAIs over an 18-day intervention period, including a microrandomized trial, to compare 4 strategies to trigger an intervention: fixed cutoff points of distress variables, personalized thresholds (through Shewhart control charts) of distress variables, momentary support need, and no intervention. Results: The results showed high feasibility, with participants completing 85.37% (2689/3150) of the EMA surveys, exhibiting a low study-related attrition rate (7%; total attrition rate was 17%), and reporting minimal technical issues. Engagement and perceived helpfulness were heterogeneous and moderate, with participants seeking support in one-third of the instances after an intervention was triggered instances. JITAIs triggered by self-reported need for support were rated as more #Appropriately timed, helpful, and effective for promoting support-seeking behavior compared to those based on distress indicators, despite being triggered less frequently. Barriers, such as time constraints and perceived unavailability of support providers, likely affected support-seeking behavior, as indicated by additional qualitative analyses. Exploratory effectiveness analyses indicated Cohen d effect sizes between 0.06 and 0.14 in reducing distress after JITAIs were received. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate that a social support JITAI is feasible to implement, with high compliance and minimal technical issues. However, further research is needed to evaluate the JITAI’s effectiveness and optimize trigger strategies in addressing individual needs for and barriers to engagement. Trial Registration:

Learn about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), its common symptoms, possible causes, and how it can affect daily life, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. Discover helpful information about mana...

Background: In recent years, innovations in generative AI, in particular large language models (LLMs) in the form of AI chatbots, have found their way to the general public. First studies indicate a growing prevalence of individuals talking to AI chatbots about #MentalHealth–related topics; yet, knowledge of how, why, and which individuals are using these AI chatbots for their #MentalHealth is limited. Objective: This study aimed to provide insights into the use of AI chatbot–delivered #MentalHealth support. Methods: To do so, an online survey in 2 Belgian samples was conducted. A student sample was collected, and individuals who used AI chatbots for #MentalHealth support were included (#Approximately 40% of the student sample were eligible users). Second, a recruitment call for users of AI chatbots for #MentalHealth support was launched in the general public. Data from 349 participants, 276 members of the general public, and 73 students were included in the analyses. Results: Descriptive analyses were used to report the use of AI chatbot–delivered #MentalHealth support. Most respondents in the present samples were women and indicated having received or receiving professional #MentalHealth support. The most common conversation topics across both samples focused on personal and interpersonal issues. Freely accessible AI chatbots, mainly ChatGPT, were the predominant choice in both samples and were mainly chosen for their constant availability and accessibility. Respondents in the student sample also preferred their anonymity, and those in the general sample also used them because they felt supported by them. The preliminary associations found between #Digital working alliance and engagement factors in the student sample and in the general sample suggest that relational factors might play a role in sustained AI chatbot use but warrant further investigation. Conclusions: To conclude, this study confirms that general-purpose AI chatbots that are not designed or regulated for #MentalHealth support, specifically ChatGPT, are being used to obtain social and emotional support, often by individuals already familiar with professional #MentalHealth support.

Bill mandates written protocols for handling investigations of child abuse and violence exposure.

Background: Adolescents waiting for mental health treatment often experience significant unmet psychological needs, including severe psychological distress, increased use of maladaptive coping strategies, and feelings of abandonment. However, current wait time support offerings across the mental health sector are sparse and lack clear evidence of effectiveness. Objective: Using design thinking, this early report describes the development of a service blueprint for a new model of care (While We Wait) designed to address the psychological needs of adolescents during the wait time for mental health treatment in Australia through targeted support from general practitioners (GPs) and brief, self-directed digital interventions. Methods: In partnership with health service designers from Deloitte Digital Australia, we conducted a rapid 6-week health service design sprint. This industry-led methodology involved iterative weekly activities, including the development of service user personas and service experience principles, consultation sessions with 12 youth with lived experience experts (aged 18 to 20 years) and 15 GPs, insight synthesis, and service blueprint development. Results: The design sprint produced a service blueprint anchored in 5 service experience principles: “I’m never alone,” “It’s for me,” “I’m in control,” “It’s easy to use,” and “It lifts me up.” The proposed service model incorporated a five-stage service journey: (1) recognition (the adolescent acknowledges the need for support), (2) initial consultation and onboarding with the GP, (3) support and monitoring, (4) preparation for treatment, and (5) transition to specialist care and follow-up. Key adolescent service outcomes included uptake, acceptability, self-advocacy, mental health and well-being, perceived quality of care, and help seeking intentions and behaviors. For GPs, outcomes included uptake, #feasibility, acceptability, and confidence in supporting adolescents during the wait time. Conclusions: This work demonstrates that a rapid, industry-led design thinking approach may help identify priorities for developing services that address adolescents’ needs during the wait time for mental health treatment. The project also highlights the value of co-designing mental health services with lived experience experts and service providers. Together, these findings suggest that the wait time may represent an important opportunity for early therapeutic engagement rather than a passive delay before treatment.

Background: Psychological distress among surrogate decision-makers (surrogates) for patients with critical illness is well documented. Existing interventions for supporting surrogates in their role often target surrogates’ informational needs without directly addressing surrogates’ acute emotional burden. Therefore, we developed the Reappraisal-Enhanced Foundation for Regulating Affect and Managing Emotions (REFRAME) intervention, a tablet-based app that empowers surrogates to manage their psychological distress with cognitive reappraisal. Objective: We sought to (1) determine the #feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of implementing REFRAME and (2) examine its preliminary effects on surrogates’ psychological distress. Methods: We conducted a pilot nonrandomized trial at a tertiary medical center in northeast Ohio. We recruited adult surrogates for incapacitated intensive care unit (ICU) patients (≥48 hours). The first 20 participants received usual care (UC); the next 28 received UC and REFRAME, consisting of 3 sequential 10- to 15-minute modules administered every 24 to 48 hours (T1-T3) post enrollment (T0). We evaluated implementation outcomes both quantitatively and qualitatively by describing enrollment and completion rates, surrogates’ scores on the Acceptability of Intervention Measure and the Intervention Appropriateness Measure, and thematically analyzing feedback from each interventional module. We measured psychological distress with the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Anxiety and Depression short forms at enrollment (T0) and approximately 1-week post enrollment (T3). We used linear mixed-effects models to assess changes in anxiety and depression severity between groups from T0 to T3, adjusting for the surrogate’s gender, patient relationship, prior decision-making experience, and perceived stress. Results: Our analytic sample included 48 surrogates (UC=20; REFRAME=28). Two-thirds (19/28, 67.9%) of those assigned to REFRAME completed all 3 modules, with over 70% finding it acceptable and appropriate. Qualitative feedback indicated that surrogates appreciated the intervention’s normalization of their emotions and provision of practical reappraisal strategies. Both groups showed reductions in psychological distress severity, with greater reductions in depressive symptoms reported by surrogates in the REFRAME group (d=0.68). Conclusions: REFRAME was feasible to implement, well-received by users, and considered relevant in the ICU setting. We observed preliminary improvement in depressive symptoms, though the effects on anxiety are less certain. Our findings indicate that incorporating brief cognitive reappraisal tools into routine ICU practice may support surrogates’ psychological well-being. Larger, more diverse trials with longer follow-up are necessary to confirm these initial findings and assess their impact on shared decision-making.

A free trauma service for first responders to bushfires, ...

Join us in this two-day course, designed for registered staff of any profession.  The need for holistic support to address the psychosocial impact for people with long term conditions, features in NHS...

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