MNHQ here: fancy having a play with a new NHS-approved tool for mental health support?

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello,

We've been asked if Mumsnet users would be willing to check out a new NHS-approved tool for mental health support and give some feedback on it - and let us know whether you'd like to see it featured in relevant Talk and content areas across Mumsnet.

You can find it here: it's called Good Thinking and aims to help people find tools and resources to support their mental wellbeing. At the moment some of the resources are a bit biased towards London and the southeast, because the tool has been supported by the Mayor of London's office as well as the NHS, but the aim is to add more national resources over time.

The makers of the tool want to know whether it would be a useful thing to feature on Mumsnet in relevant topics and content areas, so we're throwing it over to you. Would it be a useful addition to the site?

Any feedback or thoughts let us know - and if you have any questions for the developers we'll try to get them answered for you.

Thanks
MNHQ

It advised me I need urgent medical attention for symptoms unrelated to my mental health - urinary and sleeping pattern - because it could find no reason for them. I have a physical condition that causes them but no option to tick for “I have a diagnosis that explains this.”

I also need daily input from a care agency but that didn’t fall into any of the reasons for care it gave.

It offered no options for mental health.

It says any feedback or thoughts. I've shared mine. I've also specified serious mental illness.

Bookm

Im really struggling with sleeping at the minute it suggested i try and get more sleep

Just opened it, but my first comment is it requiepres you to ‘now what your issue is and therefore biases t( results. I want someone to tell me what my mental health issues are - most people wouldn’t be an,e to define for themselves between anxiety, sleep deprivation, stress and depression. They all play into each other and interlink n

Said I wanted online resources and said I was sad , bereaved, sometimes. Offered me 5 websites: 1 fine, others for young people (no), men (no!), students (no!) & Another one not relevant (can't remember what).

Just more of the same old "signposting" to services. We want money spent on SERVICES , not fancy comms!!!

Fascinating. I expected it to be better than it was. I put in my usual symptoms (not currently suffering) and a good range of possible options (on or offline, sole or with others etc.) My top fiove choices included a scheme for under 25s (I'm not) a scheme for men (I'm female) a scheme for Londoners (I'm not London-based) a telephone line that warned I may be put in a queue and a web-based peer-support group, which wa the last choice.

I know if I had genuinely been feeling as low as have in the past, this would have felt like a hefty smack in the face. I'd have interpreted it as: You are worthless. You have no place in society and no right to get well. Because the first four 'matched' options excluded me and the last one was a peer group which ime can be full of cries for help with no sustained support on offer.

That's a great shame. Is there no screening process for postcode, age and gender so such clunky mistakes can be avoided? Are the NHS aware how the irrationally ill mind interprets such messages and blows them out of proportion?

I tried the self assessment tool on behalf of DS1 but the suggestions weren't really relevant to him.

Clicked through to the resources, which were external sites. The first gave a 404 error when I clicked for more information. The second promoted an app. The 3rd was London based, despite me allowing the site to use location information. I didn't carry on scrolling.

I clicked on the anxiety bit and it came up with 5 free resources to look at. Quick and easy to use and it felt good to have something positive to work on instantly.

@DocusDiplo is right. Spend money on services not fancy websites. The cost of planning and designing that 'resource' could have paid for so many people to have face to face therapy sessions.

Did the self assessment and was told to go to the dr in 48 hours because I had a possible problem with urination and I’m not getting enough sleep for my age.
Well I would tell the dr what I couldn’t put in the questionnaire. Urination problems due to pelvic floor issues after 2 difficult childbirths —and laziness when it comes to doing pelvic floor exercises—
One big reason I’m not getting enough sleep for my age is a dsd with special needs and a dd3 who is not so great at sleeping but who is hopefully getting better.

Also it helpfully told me I have possible clinical depression and possible generalised anxiety disorder.

These are quite blunt diagnoses to be suggested after a quick multiple choice survey. I think it should stick with suggesting GP appointment (without saying 48 hours) and leave it for the gp to suggest any serious diagnoses like this.
Honestly- I’m even less likely to visit my gp now I know it’s urgent and I’ve likely got a serious mh condition.
Haven’t got time for that and would like to continue with my head in the sand.
Not logical but if you’ve got some mh symptoms you’re not likely to respond logically.

Not sure if recommend this to be embedded in mumsnet as it is.

I tried the self assessment twice. The first time as I am now (diagnosed depression and anxiety but doing very well at the moment) and the tool seemed to get fixated on my excessive sleepiness and recommend I start going to bed earlier and that was it pretty much. The second time I answered as if I was in one of my most ill phases and it suggested I have a UTI and see a GP asap. No questions about my menstrual cycle or other factors, it seemed to decide for me that they weren't of any consequence.

I think it's a bit of a dangerous tool, to be honest. The self assessment doesn't seem to be working properly and could mean people don't actually look for proper help. There don't seem to be any caveats about it not being a replacement for seeing a medical professional face to face.

Too London centric to be tested nation wide. I haven't been affected by any terror related incidents and I'm over 25. This can't be allowed to replace actual medical consultations.

I have a life limiting illness as well as MH issues, am 60. The self assessment does seem quite a blunt tool. Dual diagnosis focussed on alcohol or drugs, people will try to minimise that anyway imo.

It also requires the person answering to have an insight into how they are feeling e.g feelings of paranoia. Based on what I clicked, I am told to go to A and E. However I am house bound and 15 miles away across country from A and E with no transport.

City focussed and assuming that everyone can make their way to A and E or that one is reasonably nearby. Ringing Samaritans is unfair on Samaritans. They are not medically trained, they are a listening group of volunteers.

A and E departments are overstretched and MH support is seriously lacking when you do go there, not sure about London, as I am in the sticks.

I had a peek at the self help on offer and CALMs and Papyrus are helpful ( if in London) but nothing for older women or women at all. I would not go near a forum having experienced terrible moderation on the Sane forum in the past and also the now defunct Rethink forum.

I have been waiting months in real life for CBT via a self referral to our local MH team. My only visit to A and E resulted in a junior doctor sending me home to " have a good holiday". I doubt very much that I would try it again.

As it is now, I think a lot of unwell people using this on MN would just be told to go to A and E as a sort of cover your back default. You can ring 111 and be told that.

I answered honestly and it told me to go to A&E urgently and not drive myself.
The app said I should do this because I might have kidney stones, close but I have gallbladder problems and I know I don't need to go to A&E. I'm under the care of a consultant.

There were a lot of questions, if someone was in genuine mental health related distress they could find answering them all to be stressful or too long or too much. IMO it's not geared up to getting support for the most vulnerable service users.

It's an ok idea - and the fact that it suggested kidney stones for me, which is not bad going but I answered 'yes' to the question about whether I am under the care of an HCP and 'yes' I do know how to contact them in an emergency. Following this information I think it should have told me to contact my HCP immediately, rather than A&E. It does need some tweaking and greater accessibility for people not in SE England.

I've been advised to call Stonewall because of my anxiety.

I'm not LGBTQ+....

Thanks very much for everyone's input - we really appreciate the time MNers took to have a look and your really interesting and valuable feedback. Big hugs (if wanted) to those of you in difficult circumstances.

Here's a message from the app developers too:

'Hi everyone,

Good Thinking has been reviewing your comments and wanted to say a big thank you for taking the time to assess and provide honest feedback. If you've yet to take a look but you'd like to do so please do and let us know what you think so the feedback for the programme is as insightful as possible.'

Thanks
MNHQ

@Patico we're so sorry you're having to deal with this. One of our team is going to send you a personal message - you'll see it in your inbox here on site and you'll receive an email notification about it.

Like the idea, but in my top 5 resources one was for men only and one was London only, two that could've been eliminated by asking me my postcode and gender.

Patico
@RowanMumsnet Ok here but a hug is always good thanks.

I'm just thinking that there are a lot of issues here for moderation/staff to be considered if you run with it. Increase in MH posting and traffic, particularly at night.SH specifics, ideation etc.

Also, being older I did not find out doing my own assessment but what about women who have pnd, for example and other matters surrounding birth/ menopause/ fertility etc.? Not sure if this is addressed.

Thanks Flores. We wouldn't want to create an expectation that MNHQ could provide MH expertise so that's definitely one to bear in mind, thank you.

(Hugs always welcome here too )

@FloresTorres

Patico *@RowanMumsnet* Ok here but a hug is always good thanks.

I'm just thinking that there are a lot of issues here for moderation/staff to be considered if you run with it. Increase in MH posting and traffic, particularly at night.SH specifics, ideation etc.

Also, being older I did not find out doing my own assessment but what about women who have pnd, for example and other matters surrounding birth/ menopause/ fertility etc.? Not sure if this is addressed.

Ieso sounds good but very limited areas.

The website itself is ok but it's not very comprehensive. I think there's already quite a decent amount of information on the Nhs website and links to great resources such as the Samaritans and Mind.

I would like to see more messenger / email / text help for mental health as a lot of people don't feel able to make a phone call or go to see someone, that would be a great stepping stone.

The advice seems basic. It’s also really annoying because it takes you half way through the self assessment it says they have identified a better assessment for you and you get kicked out and have to enter all the data again.

It also troubles me because if the programme identifies you as having one condition, it stops assessing you for other conditions and they frequently appear together so it would miss them.

It’s tone is really patronising too.