Design of a mHealth-based Solution to Address Mental

Health of students in Bangladesh

Course No: BME 431

Project Applicants:
1.Sumaiya Ohab(1718003)
2.Afia Zahin(1718009)
3.Basu Deb(1718015)
4.Humyra Hossain Oni(1718021)
5.Angkon Biswas(1718027)

Submitted to:
Nusrat Binta Nizam
Lecturer, Dept of Biomedical Engineering, BUET
Date of Submission:15.02.2023

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Introduction:

Mental health can be defined as one’s condition regarding psychological,

emotional and social well-being. Instability of the mind can impact one’s thoughts,
feelings, and actions. The mental illness is recognized by a consistently low mood,
loss of interest, and other debilitating emotions. There are multiple aspects of
mental health from serious disorders like Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder to
anxiety, mild depression, eating disorders or substance abuse. Most mental health
disorders have their peak onset during young adulthood. Young people often refuse
to admit that they suffer from a disorder or look for help, partly due to insufficient
knowledge, and partly because of fear of negative reactions from their peers. One
of the most common mental health conditions of students is depression and stress
of study.

Problem statement:

Student life is the most pressing stage in the teenagers’ lives that can sometimes
impose major challenges to study, play, socialize and live at the same time.
Failure to manage these challenges effectively may lead to poor mental
health in the teenagers and negative repercussions. Approximately 3.8% of
the world is affected by depression. It is estimated that 20% of children and
adolescents worldwide have some mental health problem, making it a global health
concern. Adolescents and young adults specially students are at a high risk for
depression. Among them teenagers can be harried and overly anxious for their
future. Some extreme cases may lead to depression, extreme anxiety and even
suicide. Pro-active assessments on the teenagers’ mental health need to be carried
out periodically in order to overcome such possible incidences. According to the
United States 2019 National Health Interview Survey, the highest rates of adult
depression occurred among 18 to 29 years old (21% of participants had depressive
symptoms). During their education, especially college students are known to be
subject to high-stress environments, new experiences, and changing expectations.
In turn, students are particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges. It is

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estimated that one in every three college freshmen has mental health issues, and an
estimated 9% of all students have depressive symptoms. Unfortunately, public
perception of mental illness is still recovering from barriers and past
stigmatization. Whether or not people seek help, standard treatments are not
always accessible; 95.6% of U.S. adults reported a barrier to mental healthcare
access. These affected often fail to recognize the severity of their conditions or fear
being judged. Students are not immune to these barriers, typically being too
embarrassed to seek treatment or wanting to work through their issues and
sometimes parents are ignorant. Mobile health (mHealth) technology has been
growing in popularity to minimize some barriers to traditional mental healthcare.
The technology has dramatically improved access to resources and treatment
options across many populations. Young people and students are more likely to
own and utilize mHealth apps. It is now timely and essential to evaluate the impact
of mHealth treatments on students’ mental health.

Aim:

From the problem statement it is understood that the main obstacle in the treatment
of mental health is barrier. One must have some encouraging factor that helps one
to overcome the barriers. The barriers of mental health are
 Fear for unwanted treatment
 Negative experiences
 Fear for lacking confidentiality
 Stigma
• Public stigma
• Self-‐stigma
The main encouraging factors are
 Openness
 Positive experiences
 Sufficient mental health literacy

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After overcome the barrier, One must seek for help. Process of help-seeking is
Awareness about the problem, Expression of symptoms and need for support,
Availability of sources of help and Willingness to disclose to sources.

Awareness Expression Availability Willingness

Proposed Solution:

To address the mental health issues, we propose a system that provides solutions
for mental health screening and diagnosis and stepped-care intervention including
mood tracking, mindfulness meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Our system will consist of a smartphone app for patients and carers and web portal
for clinicians uses self-reported data and the device’s built-in sensors to collect
patient information. Based on the self-reported data, the smartphone app will
identify any triggers or warning signs, and it will notify patients and clinicians that
help is needed before a crisis occurs. The smartphone app will also provide users
with self-help tools that will always be available in case of an emergency. The
smartphone app will also provide users with self-help tools that are always
available in case of an emergency.

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The features of our mental health app are:
Experts believe that technology has a lot of potential for users and clinicians. A few
of the features of our mobile care will include:
 Convenience: Treatment can take place anytime and anywhere (e.g., at
home in the middle of the night or on a bus on the way to work) and may be
ideal for those who have trouble with in-person appointments.
 Anonymity: Clients can seek treatment options without involving other
people.
 An introduction to care: The technology may be a good first step for those
who have avoided mental health care in the past.
 Lower cost: Some features of the apps will be free or cost less than
traditional care.
 Service to more people: This technology can help mental health providers
offer treatment to people in remote areas or to many people in times of
sudden need (for example following a natural disaster or terror attack).
 Interest: The technologies might be more appealing than traditional
treatment methods, which may encourage clients to continue therapy.

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  24-hour monitoring: The technology can provide round-the-clock
monitoring and self-help tools or interventions.
 Consistency: The technology can offer the same treatment plan to all users.
 Support: The technology can complement traditional therapy by extending
an in-person session, reinforcing new skills, and providing support and
monitoring.

Other important features of the smartphone app for mental health

 Self-management feature
Users will enter self-reported data into the app so it can provide feedback.
For example, medication reminders, stress-coping strategies or sleep
problems. The app can also track sensor data and may help users monitor
their progress and receive feedback.
 App to improve thinking skills and skills training
the app will help users with improved thinking skills (cognitive remediation)
and learn new coping or thinking skills. For example, educational videos
about anxiety management or the importance of social support. Additionally,
users might pick up some new skills and use the app to practice those skills.
This type of app may feel a little bit like a game, and often target people
with severe mental illness.
 Supported care
This type of feature will allow users to interact with a trained health care
provider or a peer support group who can offer guidance in case of an
emergency.

 Monitoring and data collection

This mental health app will collect two types of data. On one hand, it gathers
data using the sensors built into smartphones such as movement patterns,
social interactions, behavior at different times of the day, speech patterns and
more. On the other hand, it will collect self-reported data in the form of a
mood diary or electronic questionnaire.

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Although mental health apps may not replace mental health professionals, they
allow clinicians to provide better support to more people regardless of their
geographical location.

Pros of proposed solution in mental health for students:

Accessibility: One of the biggest advantages of proposed solution is that it can

increase access to mental health services for students who might not be able to
receive care. For example, students who live in rural areas or who have
transportation difficulties can use App to connect with mental health providers
from the comfort of their homes.
Convenience: This can also be more convenient for students, as they can attend
appointments without having to leave their homes or take time off from school.
This can be particularly helpful for students who have busy schedules or who may
have difficulty scheduling appointments during traditional office hours.
Anonymity: Some students may feel more comfortable discussing sensitive topics
related to their mental health in an anonymous setting, which a mHealth based app
can provide. This can help to reduce stigma and encourage more students to seek
help when they need it.
Cost-effectiveness: App can also be more cost-effective for students, as they do
not need to pay for transportation or take time off from work to attend
appointments

Cons of proposed solution in mental health for students:

Lack of personal connection: One of the biggest limitations of this kind of App is
that it can be impersonal and may not be as effective as in-person therapy for
building a therapeutic relationship between a student and their mental health
provider. Some students may find it difficult to connect with their provider through
a screen and may not feel as comfortable discussing their feelings and thoughts.

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Technical difficulties: Technical issues such as poor internet connectivity, glitchy
software, or malfunctioning equipment can interfere with the quality of
telemedicine sessions and disrupt the flow of the conversation.
Limited assessment abilities: This App based solution can also limit a mental
health provider's ability to assess a student's mental health and make accurate
diagnoses. Providers may not be able to observe the student's body language or
physical symptoms, which can be important indicators of mental health.
Privacy concerns: Finally, there may be concerns about the privacy and security
of sensitive mental health information during telemedicine sessions. It's important
for students to research the privacy policies of telemedicine services and to take
steps to protect their personal information.

Financial Analysis:
There are different phases in the financial analysis. As there are different types of
devices used like mobile device, monitoring device and home surveillance and
recording device, so the costing of the devices is very important. Then comes the
app design and development part. After the system is complete, there should be a
market study. Also, data encryption must be ensured. There should be some
advertisements which will promote the system.
The costing for one system is shown below:

Name of Equipment Unit Unit Cost (BDT)

Mobile Device One Time 30,000
Monitoring Device One Time 50,000
Home Surveillance One Time 15,000
and Recoding Device
Web App Design Per month 25,000
App Development Per month 30,000
Web Space Annual 10,000
Purchasing
Market Study One Time 50,000
Data Encryption Per Month 45,000
Training Cost Annual 35,000
Promotional Activity Per month 10,000
Maintenance Per month 30,000
Total = 330,000 BDT

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Contribution Of Members:
1.Introduction, Problem Statement(1718009)
2.Aim(1718021)
3.Proposed solution(1718027)
4.Pros and cons(1718015)
5.Financial Analysis(1718003)