Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors
The impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on the mental health of the population requires the implementation of new primary screening strategies of mental health disorders to intervene in a timelier manner, and technology may provide solutions. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the mobile app Me...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/9/1223 |
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| author | Margarita L. Martinez-Fierro Anayantzin E. Ayala-Haro Martha E. Pinedo-Hurtado Jorge A. Solis-Galvan Idalia Garza-Veloz Zihomara Y. Velazquez-Lopez Antonio G. Camacho-Martinez Lorena Avila-Carrasco Sodel Vazquez-Reyes Perla Velasco-Elizondo Alejandro Mauricio-Gonzalez Yolanda Ortiz-Castro |
| author_facet | Margarita L. Martinez-Fierro Anayantzin E. Ayala-Haro Martha E. Pinedo-Hurtado Jorge A. Solis-Galvan Idalia Garza-Veloz Zihomara Y. Velazquez-Lopez Antonio G. Camacho-Martinez Lorena Avila-Carrasco Sodel Vazquez-Reyes Perla Velasco-Elizondo Alejandro Mauricio-Gonzalez Yolanda Ortiz-Castro |
| author_sort | Margarita L. Martinez-Fierro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on the mental health of the population requires the implementation of new primary screening strategies of mental health disorders to intervene in a timelier manner, and technology may provide solutions. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the mobile app Mentali (version 1.1.2; creators: Jorge Alfonso Solís Galván Sodel Vázquez Reyes, Margarita de la Luz Martínez Fierro, Perla Velasco Elizondo, Idalia Garza Veloz, Alejandro Mauricio González and Claudia Caldera Villalobos, Zacatecas, México) as a primary screening tool for anxiety and depression disorders in medical students and to assess the triggering risk factors. This was a descriptive and longitudinal study and included 155 Mexican medical students. Participants interacted with Mentali for 6 months. The mobile app integrated the Beck anxiety and depression inventories together with a mood module. At the end of the interaction, the students received psychological and psychiatric interventions to confirm their primary diagnoses. Symptoms of moderate/severe anxiety and depression were present in 62.6% and 54.6% of the studied population. When corroborating the diagnoses, Mentali obtained a sensitivity of 100%, 95%, and 43% to classify a mental health disorder, anxiety, and depression, respectively. The most important triggers found were as follows: belonging to a dysfunctional family, being introverted, and having suffered from bullying. The proportion of users with excellent/good mood decreased from 78.7% to 34.4% at the end of the semester, and the proportion of users who claimed to have bad/very bad mood increased from 7.4% to 34.4% at the end of the semester (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Mentali was useful for identifying users with anxiety and/or depression, and as an auxiliary tool to coordinate the provision of specialized interventions, allowing us to increase the proportion of patients who needed psychological care and received it by 30%. The efficacy of Mentali in identifying activities through time with an impact on the mood and mental health of the users was confirmed. Our results support the use of Mentali for the primary screening of mental health disorders in young adults, including medical students. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:34:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ff69fa5091e748319820fcde8013d359 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:34:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-ff69fa5091e748319820fcde8013d3592023-11-23T15:21:18ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252022-09-01129122310.3390/brainsci12091223Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering FactorsMargarita L. Martinez-Fierro0Anayantzin E. Ayala-Haro1Martha E. Pinedo-Hurtado2Jorge A. Solis-Galvan3Idalia Garza-Veloz4Zihomara Y. Velazquez-Lopez5Antonio G. Camacho-Martinez6Lorena Avila-Carrasco7Sodel Vazquez-Reyes8Perla Velasco-Elizondo9Alejandro Mauricio-Gonzalez10Yolanda Ortiz-Castro11Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoAcademic Unit of Electrical Engineering, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoAcademic Unit of Electrical Engineering, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoAcademic Unit of Electrical Engineering, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoMolecular Medicine Laboratory, Academic Unit of Human Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km.6. Ejido la Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, MexicoThe impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on the mental health of the population requires the implementation of new primary screening strategies of mental health disorders to intervene in a timelier manner, and technology may provide solutions. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the mobile app Mentali (version 1.1.2; creators: Jorge Alfonso Solís Galván Sodel Vázquez Reyes, Margarita de la Luz Martínez Fierro, Perla Velasco Elizondo, Idalia Garza Veloz, Alejandro Mauricio González and Claudia Caldera Villalobos, Zacatecas, México) as a primary screening tool for anxiety and depression disorders in medical students and to assess the triggering risk factors. This was a descriptive and longitudinal study and included 155 Mexican medical students. Participants interacted with Mentali for 6 months. The mobile app integrated the Beck anxiety and depression inventories together with a mood module. At the end of the interaction, the students received psychological and psychiatric interventions to confirm their primary diagnoses. Symptoms of moderate/severe anxiety and depression were present in 62.6% and 54.6% of the studied population. When corroborating the diagnoses, Mentali obtained a sensitivity of 100%, 95%, and 43% to classify a mental health disorder, anxiety, and depression, respectively. The most important triggers found were as follows: belonging to a dysfunctional family, being introverted, and having suffered from bullying. The proportion of users with excellent/good mood decreased from 78.7% to 34.4% at the end of the semester, and the proportion of users who claimed to have bad/very bad mood increased from 7.4% to 34.4% at the end of the semester (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Mentali was useful for identifying users with anxiety and/or depression, and as an auxiliary tool to coordinate the provision of specialized interventions, allowing us to increase the proportion of patients who needed psychological care and received it by 30%. The efficacy of Mentali in identifying activities through time with an impact on the mood and mental health of the users was confirmed. Our results support the use of Mentali for the primary screening of mental health disorders in young adults, including medical students.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/9/1223affective disordersanxietydepressionBeck inventoriespsychologypsychiatry |
| spellingShingle | Margarita L. Martinez-Fierro Anayantzin E. Ayala-Haro Martha E. Pinedo-Hurtado Jorge A. Solis-Galvan Idalia Garza-Veloz Zihomara Y. Velazquez-Lopez Antonio G. Camacho-Martinez Lorena Avila-Carrasco Sodel Vazquez-Reyes Perla Velasco-Elizondo Alejandro Mauricio-Gonzalez Yolanda Ortiz-Castro Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors Brain Sciences affective disorders anxiety depression Beck inventories psychology psychiatry |
| title | Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors |
| title_full | Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors |
| title_fullStr | Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors |
| title_short | Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors |
| title_sort | usefulness of a mobile application mentali for anxiety and depression screening in medical students and description of the associated triggering factors |
| topic | affective disorders anxiety depression Beck inventories psychology psychiatry |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/9/1223 |
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