JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability in young people, with approximately twenty percent having experienced a depressive episode by the age of eighteen. Behavioural Activation (BA), a NICE recommended treatment for adults with depression has also shown preliminary evidence with young people. BA may have the potential to be adapted and delivered in a computerised format to address the barriers often associated with young people accessing support. However, in the development of new treatments, the limited effectiveness of some programmes has been attributed to a failure to tailor interventions to patients and practices. It is therefore essential that those for whom an intervention is being designed are involved in its development.

Objective:

This qualitative work explored the views and preferences of young people and healthcare professionals regarding the development of a new computerised BA therapy for young people with low mood/depression to ensure it was suitable for the target user.

Methods:

Semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with young people (both those with experience of accessing support and those without) and healthcare professionals regarding the development of a new computerised BA therapy for young people with low mood/depression. Data were analysed using Thematic Analysis.

Results:

Twenty-seven individuals who were a combination of healthcare professionals and young people participated. Rich information pertaining to the important components of a new therapy including its content, presentation and delivery were collected.

Conclusions:

Variations in perspectives highlighted the need to adopt a systemic approach in therapy development with the opinions of young people, both with experience of accessing mental health support and those without, and healthcare professionals incorporated.