Young people, the internet and mental health

Abstract

The original research by Mullen et al. in this issue is a welcome contribution to the increasingly important research area concerned with mental health and internet use. There is a persistent and growing tension between harmful online content and the potential to support vulnerable people online. Although current research has established both negative and positive influences of the internet on mental health, a policy framework to guide the development of online mental health resources is lacking. Based on 20 years of online service provision (in Australia originally and now in Ireland), ReachOut.com has gained important insights into young people’s online behaviour and help-seeking preferences. Given that young people have expressed concerns about the impact of the internet and social media on their mental health, yet they will go online for support, there is a clear need for leadership and the resourcing of quality assured, engaging online mental health supports. Such an approach will be the most effective way of mitigating the threat posed by harmful online content.

Mental Health Literacy and Help-Giving Responses in Irish Adolescents

“…Jorm, Wright, and Morgan (2007) discuss how “in many ways it is unreasonable to expect adolescents to have the knowledge and skills to support peers” (Jorm et al, 2007, p. 69). Despite these concerns, research has consistently shown that while many depressed and suicidal adolescents are unlikely to seek help from any source, those who do seek help prefer peer support (Chambers & Murphy, 2011; Sullivan, Arensman, Keeley, Corcoran, & Perry, 2004). Furthermore, individuals suffering from depression are more likely to seek professional help upon recommendation (Vogel, Wade, Wester, Larson, & Hackler, 2007), and the fear of negative reactions from peers is a common reason given for not seeking help (Barney, Griffiths, Jorm, & Christensen, 2006).…”

“…Adolescents’ perspectives on their ability to help peers are extremely positive. The majority of adolescents report that they have a good understanding of how to help a friend going through a tough time (Chambers & Murphy, 2011). Adolescents are more confident in their ability to provide help to peers than are young adults, and girls are more confident than boys (Jorm et al, 2007).…”

“…Although sex differences in mental health literacy are given little attention in the literature, the limited research available has consistently suggested such differences exist. A large-scale Irish study recently found that female participants scored up to 20% higher than males on measures of mental health literacy (Chambers & Murphy, 2011). Lawlor et al (2008) found that young Irish females were significantly more likely than males to recognize depression in a vignette; this pattern of results was corroborated by Cotton et al (2006) with a sample of Australian young people.…”

“…The incidence of depressive disorders in adolescence has also been shown to increase with age (Health Service Executive, 2011; Thapar, Collishaw, Pine, & Thapar, 2012), and young people in late adolescence have been shown to prefer peer support (Bokhorst et al, 2010). Sex differences were explored, as previous research has suggested that adolescent girls and boys differ in their knowledge of mental disorders (Chambers & Murphy, 2011).…”

Effectiveness of a Mental Health Service Navigation Website (Link) for Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The results of our final outcome trial are timely, as experts urge for consideration of robust policy frameworks to ensure Web-based supports for the mental health of young people are effective, appropriate, and engaging [51]. Our work is timely also because of the pending results of a trial of a similar intervention in Canada, ThoughtSpot, co-designed with young people to enable postsecondary school young people to access mental health support services [52,53].…”