Clinical Investigation of Syndi

Newcastle University

Status: Withdrawn

Conditions: Mental Health Issue; Depression; Anxiety

Treatments: Device: Syndi recommender system for mental health apps

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NETWORK

Identifiers

NCT06451549

NU-015775

Details and patient eligibility

About

Mental health concerns are a growing global concern, but support can still be difficult to access. Digital health technologies can help people access support, but with over 10,000 mental health apps available, it can be difficult to choose one that is safe, effective, and personalised. Syndi is a digital health platform that uses a machine learning system to provide personalised recommendations of mental health apps. This study aims to examine the impact of Syndi and its recommendations on the mental health and well-being of people with mental health concerns.

The investigators will use the standard National Health Service (NHS) Talking Therapies measures of anxiety and depression, as well as additional measures of wellbeing and functional impairment to look at the impact of Syndi on patients' mental well-being. The investigators will also look at user experience with Syndi using a survey. Users' engagement with Syndi and its recommended apps will be assessed using a short survey and some participants will be randomly selected for an interview so the investigators can get a better understanding of what people liked and disliked about using the platform and why.

The investigators expect that the project will show that using Syndi helps improve mental well-being in people with mental health concerns. If the study shows this positive impact, this will provide evidence to support the use of Syndi to improve the accessibility of mental health support in clinical pathways. The investigators will publish the results of the study in academic journals as well as in more accessible platforms.

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Based in the UK
• Referred or self-referred to proceed through the standard NHS Talking Therapies care pathway OR people with mental health concerns looking for app recommendations online;
• Willing and able to provide informed consent;
• Aged 18 years or older;
• Able to speak English;
• Have access to the internet and own a smartphone.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with a PHQ-9 score >=20
• Patients with suicidal ideation measured as an answer of 'YES' to any question in the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS);
• Incapable of self-consent;
• In a dependent/unequal relationship with the research or care teams or any PPI representatives.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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0 participants in 1 patient group

Syndi recommender system for mental health apps

Experimental group

Description:

Syndi is a recommender system for mental health apps, delivered via a website. It guides users through a clinically-validated self-assessment and uses a machine learning system to provide personalised recommendations of independently-rated mental health tools.

Treatment:

Device: Syndi recommender system for mental health apps