Mental Health Mobile Phone Apps Existing apps and WorkSafeBC prototype -Product & Program Development -One of our focuses is developing mobile applications related to health and safety -We wanted to explore the possibility of creating a mental health app for first responders and show you a few ideas

Introduction Purpose: A recap of some existing mobile apps focused on improving and tracking mental health Examine some key features Should we create an app designed specifically for first responders? Does it meet a need the other apps fail to meet? Sample wireframes; comparison Mockup, potential prototype

Existing Apps and Audience There are many existing mobile phone apps with a mental health focus. Some common user groups: Veterans dealing with PTSD or suicidal ideation Individuals with mood disorders, or difficulty managing anxiety General public for people to track mental health or tap into resources No current offering that targets first responders specifically. Nothing targeted for first responders. Last category is broad

Self-assessment PTSD Coach: SAM: MindShift: Example of one form of self assessment Answer these questions based on frequency

Assessment & Results WhatsMyM3: PTSD Coach: After completing the assessment -> result (score/text) The result is basically a representation of your distress level or your reactions These pages can be seen as a stepping stone for someone to accept they may need to seek help, contacting a professional is always the recommendation that you’ll find on one of these pages

Assessment & Results: Logging/Charting Optimism: WhatsMyM3: SAM: SAM: Multiple assessments over time, plot out patterns Sleep quality versus sleep hours Anxiety levels over a period of days Simple log of the assessments you’ve taken on separate days like a journal

Informative Resources Operation Reach Out: SAM: Moving on to another feature: informative resources Videos from people who have served in the military, offering words of encouragement or suggestions to get the user to rethink their situation Info modules on what anxiety is, what the symptoms are, that the user can read to learn more

Situational Guidance MindShift: Here we have a list of situations that commonly cause anxiety, clicking through opens up specific actions that you could take to reduce distress, resolve the situation, or change your perspective

Self-help tools PTSD Coach: SAM: A number of these apps also come with self-help tools Usually these are activity modules that help with relaxation or positive thinking. The app on the left comes with guided audio for this activity, and the on the right provide an estimate of how long each one will take so you can pick one that’s appropriate. You can star or favorite these modules if you find them helpful.

Professional Assistance Lantern: Medeo: My EAP: And here we have some apps that allow you to talk directly with a healthcare professional, either through text or through video chat. You could also book an appointment through the interface. These are usually subscription-based or they go through your health plan.

Prototype App Three first responder groups We have some common call types for firefighters here: fire-related death, traffic incident, medical incident. Clicking on one of these will bring up some first hand accounts or quotes from other firefighters – something for the user to relate to and help them reflect on their own experience. The main focus from this point on is for the user to log their experience.

Prototype App - Reactions So the first thing we want to capture is the reaction to the experience, which we’ve separated into four components: Physical, Mental, Social and Emotional. The user can take this opportunity to jot down some notes about what happened to them, and check off any of the reactions that apply to them. Based off your answers, you’ll receive a score that represents how strongly you reacted to the experience - this high score implies a strong reaction.

Prototype App - Coping Next stage relates to coping strategies – what actions did you take to alleviate your distress. We have multiple choice questions covering factors like eating and drinking, physical activity, taking time off. What we really want to capture is whether or not your daily routine has changed and in what way. Afterwards, you’re presented with another score alongside the first one, based on the effectiveness of your coping strategies. Hopefully this will illustrate that your choices are working to reduce the distress resulting from the experience.

Prototype App – Info on coping From this page, we can look into more information on coping, expand on some of the topics from before and provide some context for why we think some strategies are more effective than others.

Prototype App – My incident And after the assessment, you can go ahead and log it in the phone’s memory – this is a private function, nothing is stored on a server. We could incorporate charting functions along with this that might illustrate some of the user’s personal patterns, maybe highlight some events that shaped their current state of mental health.

Moving Forward First responders deal with challenges unique to them – a general audience app may not meet their needs Currently there are no apps designed specifically for first responders Opportunity to promote mental health through a targeted approach People engage more with resources that are designated as “for” them, or their group We need your feedback/input We want your comments and suggestions so hopefully we can develop something that’s beneficial and useful to you and your peers.