Following a pretty damning report in the US around consumer-focused mental healthcare apps and their effectiveness[i], clinical validity and lack of empirical data and evidence, there have been waves of concern within the business community about workplace mental health services offered in the UK – especially when these programmes of solutions facilitated through an app.

Firstly, and importantly, the study in the US focused on free and subscription-based services available on app stores for consumers, which is considerably different from the UK workplace solutions companies provide. However, the insight within the report is valid and raised questions that need to be addressed – primarily if your business currently provides workplace mental healthcare solutions to your employees or intends to do so soon.

App vs Service
Various services are available to your business; it is vital to understand the differences between them – whether they are self-help apps like those in the report – which have raised the concerns – or a mental health support service that provides clinically led solutions to deliver practical, practical, professional outcomes for your colleagues.

But how do they differ? A mental health support app offers curated content, self-help applications and guides, and resources for the end user to choose and access when they feel they need to. These applications are a support resource, but as the report highlights, they typically offer less clinical research or evidence of efficacy.

A mental health support service delivers clinically led mental health services, which are simply facilitated by an app. These services are more likely evidence-based, created, and managed by clinicians and offer a dedicated service supporting your employees through their mental health journey.

The ultimate difference is in the delivery. Are you looking to supply primary resources to provide a self-help solution? Or a service that offers a favourable clinical outcome for your colleague who may be reluctant or unable to get professional mental health support in the current medical climate?

Would a self-help app work for my colleagues?
It would depend on what you are hoping to achieve for your colleagues. Suppose you wish to provide some assistance, perhaps as part of an Employee Assistance Programme. In that case, it may be that you want to provide resources and are less focused on clinical outcomes for the employee.

Resource-based apps provide some self-help programmes that will assist in plotting a journey for your colleagues. However, as highlighted in the report, the three leading US medical professionals found that of the 578 apps they reviewed, only 15% offered studies demonstrating the efficacy or feasibility of its provided assets. As a practising psychiatrist, this is a concern for me, and it could be assumed that depending on the level of clinical need by the user, it will have limited benefit to your employee.

Furthermore, I often use this analogy when it comes to self-help. Think of it in the context of learning the piano. You can go online, use YouTube videos or professional music teacher videos to teach yourself, and that is great, and you could become a proficient pianist. However, without that experienced teacher sitting beside you, without that support and additional motivation or praise, you will likely give up – be that through frustration, lack of understanding or the need for additional, educated support.

A service led solution
A service-led solution that an app facilitates is what businesses seek the most. These solutions offer the clinically led support your colleagues may require helping them with their mental health journey – engaging with real clinical professionals.

There is a global mental health crisis, and it can be challenging in the UK to get access to NHS mental health support. Private services are often financially inaccessible for your employees. Our customers understand the complex nature of mental health and the debilitating effects of external sources and potential work pressures on the performance of duties and absences – some even long-term. With their commitment to ensuring the wellbeing of those they employ; their driver is to provide a journey and destination to ensure their employee has the best chance of a positive recovery.

How to choose the right service
When my business partner and I identified a need for a flexible mental health solution that would work around the lives of its users, we had years of clinical experience to reference. But even so, we had to undertake research, complete trials, collate supporting evidence and prove that every stage in the user’s journey would lead to a positive clinical outcome – and then ensure that it was peer-reviewed for validity.

Whilst the depth of the research will vary between each supplier, it is vital that you know what to look for during your analysis of providers. If a supplier cannot provide anything on request, I have reservations about the validity and effectiveness of what they offer. If a provider does not openly provide this information, then as an employer, I would request the data, insight, and evidence before agreeing to sign up for such a service. As a practising psychiatrist, this should be the minimum when claiming to provide mental health support.

Research is critical when it comes to therapies. Most of these apps are a) not backed by evidence, as the report shows, and b) the ones that are, are simply stand-alone self-help programmes that, while they do provide evidence-based interventions, we know they are not very effective because self-management in mental health is demanding and not having a professional to guide you through the programme creates significant barriers leading to a very low likelihood of benefiting from it.

When considering an app that provides access to a service, it is still essential to understand who performs the therapy with the users. Are they therapists with clinical qualifications? It is necessary to ask this question and consider the provider’s response. There have been reports of users feeling that they are speaking to a call centre – especially when using EAP services – that questioned their privacy and the validity of the therapist. That is not to say that the service provided is non-clinical or unethical. Still, for a vulnerable user, it can be an additional barrier that could present issues that affect the therapist’s understanding of the person’s needs and ensure the best outcome for them.

Another barrier commonly seen in workplace providers is restricting the number of therapy sessions provided to your employees. Understandably there are financial constraints for your business, especially with the current economic climate, and limiting the number of therapies does reduce the cost burden. However, considering the need for the best possible clinical outcome, limiting sessions means that support ends before the patient is ready and could lead to relapse.

Why should I consider providing mental healthcare to my employees?
As a practising psychiatrist, I am acutely aware of the limitations and inaccessibility when accessing mental healthcare; I see it every day. Adding mental healthcare to your benefits package will ensure your colleagues feel supported while helping reduce the stigma around mental health issues your team may face, including anxiety, stress, and depression. The more businesses engage, the faster we can reduce the impact of mental health across society and improve the wellbeing of our society following the effects of events over the recent years.

[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/debgordon/2022/12/29/using-a-mental-health-app-new-study-says-your-data-may-be-shared/?sh=7e72acd8cad2