Virtual Care Tool Provides Mental Health Support for Youths

Sutter Health has launched a virtual care tool to help adolescents and young adults who experience mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.  

The California health system is targeting an age group in dire need of assistance. Almost 10 percent of the nation’s youth population is dealing with severe major depression, according to Mental Health America. More than 3 million youths have experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2021. Since the pandemic, 11-17-year-olds are more likely than any other age group to experience severe symptoms of anxiety or depression.  

With this age group already likely to turn to the internet for help, Sutter Health’s virtual tool has the ability to reach more young people who need support managing their mental health. Those who typically wouldn’t seek in-person care, such as adolescents, can receive the crucial behavioral care they need via telehealth.  

The health system has partnered with Docent Health to provide the technology that connects users with human, non-clinical navigators through an mHealth app. After responding to a series of clinically validated surveys, users are given personalized content to help with their specific needs.  

The platform includes information on symptoms, mindfulness exercises, connecting with loved ones, sleep, nutrition, and physical activity.  

It also provides tools to help caregivers support loved ones who are dealing with mental health challenges. Some of these tools include resources on understanding the loved one’s condition and tips on mindfulness, medication adherence and self-care.  

“Mental health matters can have a profound effect on the entire family,” Larry Marx, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist in child/adolescent psychiatry and general psychiatry and director of integrated care for Sutter Health’s mental health and addiction care team, said in a press release.  

“When we can offer support to youth and their caregivers in tandem through an easily accessible and relatable format, it can be beneficial for all,” he added.  

The platform was developed with feedback from youths. According to officials, many said they wanted a tool that made communicating about their concerns easier, as well as a tool that acts supportive instead of controlling and directive.  

“Incredible things can occur when you start with empathy and ask the simplest questions: ‘What problem are young people really trying to solve?’ or ‘How can we better connect with their everyday needs?’” Vandana Pant, director of strategic initiatives for Sutter Health’s design and innovation team, said in the press release. “This platform is the result of that type of collaboration where human-centered inquiry, clinical expertise, thoughtful brand and copy, technology and business rigor merged to create a means of support that is personalized and yet scalable, too. 

The resources come at an ideal time. One study found that since the pandemic hit roughly a year and a half ago, more than half (54 percent) of the people who have sought healthcare through telehealth were seeking help for a behavioral health concern, rather than a physical concern.  

With a lack of psychiatrists in pediatric offices, telemental health services also offer more opportunities for youths to access behavioral health support. Whether it is due to location, lack of transportation, or the simple fact of in-person care seeming less appealing to younger generations, Sutter Health’s virtual care tool provides an alternative method to mental healthcare.