Early Warning Signs of a Mental Health Tsunami: A Coordinated Response to Gather Initial Data Insights From Multiple Digital Services Providers

Becky Inkster, Ross O’Brien, Kate Niederhoffer, Niranjan Bidargaddi, Anne-Claire Camille Stona, Glen Coppersmith, Amanda Towler, Philip Resnik, Rebecca Resnik, Maria Liakata, Helen Barker, Abdullahi Abubakar Kawu, Karen Machin, Pattie Pramila Gonsalves, Sweta Pal, Swetha Ranganathan, John A. Naslund, Jo Robinson, Munmun De Choudhury, Glenn Melvin, Terry Hanley, Matthew Jackman, Ed Humpherson, Bo Wang, Bilal A. Mateen, Akeem Sule, Ezinne Nwankwo, Gabriela Pavarini, Josip Car, David Crepaz-Keay, Jasvinder Kandola, Hannah Stewart, Eiman Kanjo, Sarah Ticho, April C. Foreman, Emma Selby, Stan Shepherd, Karen L Fortuna, Emachi Eneje, Tamra Huesers, Stephen Jeffreys, Mat Rawsthorne, Gerry Craigen, Kristina Barger, Sachin Pendse, Errin Riley, Elvira Perez Vallejos, Mark Embrett, Ernest Okyere-Twum, Kumar Jacob, Janak Gunatilleke, Mirantha Jayathilaka, Mariana Pinto Da Costa, Ana Catarino, Ronan Cummins, Tom Clelford, James de Bathe, Valentin Tablan, Sarah Bateup, Andrew D Blackwell, Tejal Patel, Keith Grimes, Ed Sykes, Pete Trainor, Daf Rakphetmanee, Kanpassorn Eix Suriyasangpetch, Annie Meharg, Aaron Sefi, Derek Richards, Angel Enrique, Jorge Palacios, Antony Brown, Eva Papadopoulou, Charlotte Lee, Fanny Jacq, Loïc Tse, David Plans, Anika Sierk, Heather Bolton, Knut Schroeder, Tarek R. Besold, Aleksandar Matic, Iñaki Estella Aguerr, Liz Ashall-Payne, Rob Daly, Simon Leigh, Jo Aggarwal, Ramakant Vempati, Smriti Joshi, Vinod Subramanian, Madhura Kadaba, Clara Falala Sechet, Geby Chyntia Irwan, Audrey Maximillian Herli, Karine Chevreul, Anais Le Jeannic, Kathleen Turmaine, Christopher Rainbow, Megan Chor Kwan Lam, Christine Hiu Man Chiu, Will Allen-Mersh, Justine Roberts, Sara Ray, Angelica Catalano, Jennifer Russell, Jamie Druitt, Boaz Gaon, Suzi Godson, Kerstyn Comley, Satu Raappana, Michelle Carlson, Andrew Parker, Ken Duckworth, Dan Gillison, Theresa Nguyen, Madeline Reinert, Victor Ugo, Ifedayo Ward, Chantelle Booysen, Ashley Foster-Estwick, Grace Gatera, David Karorero, Kumba Philip-Joe, Damian Juma, Claudia Sartor, Chinwendu Ukachukwu, Lian Zeitz, Alex Fine, Merlyn Holkar, Conor D’Arcy, Katie Alpin, Jo Kerr, Lee Healey, Olly Betts, Andrea Severino, Will Van Der Hart, Danielle Smalls, Chris Dickson, Andrew Stroz, Sebastian Vollmer, Hoang D. Nguyen, Daniel Albert Rosello, Valentino Megale, Jan D. Smeddinck, Rosanna Bellini, Craig A. DeLarge, Shivani Patel, Jerome Uriko-kang, Tunde Olatunji, Vanessa Lalo, Robert Walker, Ann John, Diana Rayes, Marwa Elnahass, Karen Elliott, Lil Tonmyr, Andrew MacKenzie, Michael L. Birnbaum, Eric D. Caine, John Pestian, Dan Jacobson, Mike Sorter, Tracy Glauser, Michael Meaney, Vincent M. B. Silenzio, Jenny Edwards, Ricardo Araya, Chris Fitch, Jamie Evans, Kevin Telford, Peggy Loo, Andrea Stevenson, Tatyana Marsh, Helen Child, Roger S. McIntyre, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, John Torous, Beth Israel, Thomas R. Insel

Abstract

Introduction: The immediate impact of COVID-19 on morbidity and mortality has raised the need for accurate and real time data monitoring and communication. The aim of this study is to document initial observations from multiple digital services providers during the COVID-19 crisis, especially those related to mental health and wellbeing. Materials and Methods: We used email and social media to announce an urgent call for support. Digital mental health services providers (N=46), financial services providers (N=4) and other relevant digital data source providers (N=3) responded with quantitative and/or qualitative data insights. People with lived experience of distress, as service users/consumers, and carers are included as co-authors. Results: This study provides proof-of-concept of the viability for researchers and private companies to work collaboratively towards a common good. Digital services providers reported a diverse range of mental health concerns. A recurring observation is that demand for digital mental health support has risen, and that the nature of this demand has also changed since COVID-19, with an apparent increased presentation of anxiety and loneliness. Conclusion: Following this study, we will continue to work with providers in more in-depth ways to capture follow-up insights at regular time points. We will also onboard new providers to address data representativeness. Looking ahead, we anticipate the need for a rigorous process to interpret insights from an even wider variety of sources in order to monitor and respond to mental health needs.