Online tool joins fight to support mentally ill

ANY teenager seeking help for a mental illness will soon be able to connect “immediately” with highly personalised care as part of a new online platform promising to “uberise” the mental health space.

A major barrier for young people – especially those living in rural and remote areas – seeking treatment for mental health disorders is limited access to high-quality services.

About 3.9 million Australians experienced a mental health disorder in the past 12 months but only 1.8 million – less than half – accessed treatment.

The “Project Synergy” platform does not provide direct medical advice but instead “guides and supports” patients and their health professionals to decide suitable care options, according to a supplement published today in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The Federal Governmentbacked tool does this by collecting their personal and health information, which is “stored, scored and reported back” in an effort to promote collaborative care.

“It puts the person at the centre of their own care and is data-driven and delivered immediately … in real-time … thereby facilitating right care, first time,” authors of the supplement wrote.

Lead author Professor Ian Hickie from the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre said digitally enhanced care was unavoidable.

“Given the rapid spread of health information technologies and the unmet demand for mental health services, extensive deployment of digitally enhanced care is now inevitable,” Prof Hickie wrote in the publication.