Background: Web-based assessments of mental health concerns hold great potential for earlier, more cost-effective, and more accurate diagnoses of psychiatric conditions than that achieved with traditional interview-based methods. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a comprehensive web-based mental health assessment on the mental health and well-being of over 2000 individuals presenting with symptoms of depression. Methods: Individuals presenting with depressive symptoms completed a web-based assessment that screened for mood and other psychiatric conditions. After completing the assessment, the study participants received a report containing their assessment results along with personalized psychoeducation. After 6 and 12 months, participants were asked to rate the usefulness of the web-based assessment on different mental health–related outcomes and to self-report on their recent help-seeking behavior, diagnoses, medication, and lifestyle changes. In addition, general mental well-being was assessed at baseline and both follow-ups using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Results: Data from all participants who completed either the 6-month or the 12-month follow-up (N=2064) were analyzed. The majority of study participants rated the study as useful for their subjective mental well-being. This included talking more openly (1314/1939, 67.77%) and understanding one’s mental health problems better (1083/1939, 55.85%). Although most participants (1477/1939, 76.17%) found their assessment results useful, only a small proportion (302/2064, 14.63%) subsequently discussed them with a mental health professional, leading to only a small number of study participants receiving a new diagnosis (110/2064, 5.33%). Among those who were reviewed, new mood disorder diagnoses were predicted by the digital algorithm with high sensitivity (above 70%), and nearly half of the participants with new diagnoses also had a corresponding change in medication. Furthermore, participants’ subjective well-being significantly improved over 12 months (baseline WEMWBS score: mean 35.24, SD 8.11; 12-month WEMWBS score: mean 41.19, SD 10.59). Significant positive predictors of follow-up subjective well-being included talking more openly, exercising more, and having been reviewed by a psychiatrist. Conclusions: Our results suggest that completing a web-based mental health assessment and receiving personalized psychoeducation are associated with subjective mental health improvements, facilitated by increased self-awareness and subsequent use of self-help interventions. Integrating web-based mental health assessments within primary and/or secondary care services could benefit patients further and expedite earlier diagnosis and effective treatment.

中文翻译：

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基于网络的精神病学评估对出现抑郁症状的个体的心理健康和福祉的影响：纵向观察研究


背景：与传统的基于访谈的方法相比，基于网络的心理健康问题评估在更早、更经济、更准确地诊断精神疾病方面具有巨大潜力。目的：本研究的目的是评估基于网络的综合心理健康评估对 2000 多名出现抑郁症状的个体的心理健康和福祉的影响。方法：出现抑郁症状的个人完成了一项基于网络的评估，筛查情绪和其他精神状况。完成评估后，研究参与者收到了一份报告，其中包含他们的评估结果以及个性化的心理教育。 6 个月和 12 个月后，参与者被要求评价基于网络的评估对不同心理健康相关结果的有用性，并自我报告他们最近的寻求帮助行为、诊断、药物治疗和生活方式的改变。此外，使用沃里克-爱丁堡心理健康量表（WEMWBS）对基线和两次随访的一般心理健康状况进行了评估。结果：对完成 6 个月或 12 个月随访的所有参与者 (N=2064) 的数据进行了分析。大多数研究参与者认为该研究对其主观心理健康有用。这包括更公开地交谈（1314/1939，67.77%）和更好地了解自己的心理健康问题（1083/1939，55.85%）。尽管大多数参与者（1477/1939，76.17%）认为他们的评估结果有用，但只有一小部分参与者（302/2064，14.63%）随后与心理健康专业人士讨论了这些问题，导致只有少数研究参与者得到了新的诊断（110/2064，5.33%）。在接受审查的参与者中，数字算法以高灵敏度（70％以上）预测新的情绪障碍诊断，并且近一半新诊断的参与者在用药方面也发生了相应的变化。此外，参与者的主观幸福感在 12 个月内显着改善（基线 WEMWBS 评分：平均值 35.24，SD 8.11；12 个月 WEMWBS 评分：平均值 41.19，SD 10.59）。后续主观幸福感的显着积极预测因素包括更公开地交谈、更多地锻炼以及接受精神科医生的审查。结论：我们的结果表明，完成基于网络的心理健康评估和接受个性化心理教育与主观心理健康的改善相关，而自我意识的增强和随后使用的自助干预措施可促进主观心理健康的改善。将基于网络的心理健康评估纳入初级和/或二级护理服务可以进一步使患者受益，并加快早期诊断和有效治疗。