JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mental health conditions impose a significant global burden, often remaining untreated due to multiple demand and supply side barriers such as stigma, limited awareness, and poor access to services. Mobile-based interventions offer a scalable solution to address some of these barriers including low rates of help-seeking. However, most evidence has emerged from high-income countries, with minimal research in Indian settings, particularly among psychologically distressed individuals not currently seeking treatment.

Objective:

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a minimally guided mobile application in promoting help-seeking behaviors among individuals experiencing self-reported common mental health concerns and significant psychological distress who are not currently engaged in formal treatment. Additionally, it will examine the utility of the intervention in reducing perceived barriers to seeking professional help for mental health, improving inclination to seek help from mental health professionals and alleviating psychological distress. Perceived gains of using the application will also be documented.

Methods:

A parallel-arm randomized controlled trial will be used for evaluating the effectiveness of the minimally guided, indigenously developed mobile app in enhancing help-seeking behaviors among distressed, non-treatment-seeking adults. The intervention arm will receive a multi-module app while the active control will receive a mood logging app. Assessments will occur at baseline, post-intervention (Week 5), and one-month follow-up, using standardized self-report tools and additional items. The primary outcome will be actual help-seeking behavior from mental health professionals, while secondary outcomes will include help-seeking inclination, perceived barriers, psychological distress and perceived gains.

Results:

The trial has been initiated and is in the preliminary stage. The recruitment of participants is ongoing.

Conclusions:

This study will provide contextually relevant insights into the utility of a minimally guided mobile app based intervention in improving professional help-seeking among distressed, non-treatment seeking individuals in India. Findings may inform the design and scaling of accessible digital interventions to bridge the mental health treatment gap in low-resource settings. Clinical Trial: The present study is registered in the Clinical Trials Registry of India with the Registration No. CTRI/2024/11/077461.