Coralde, L.J.S & Datlangin, M.N.C).

Development of a Mental Health Web Application For

Mental Disorder Management and Patient-Psychologist Communication.

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

According to the World Health Organization (2017), over 400 million worldwide

suffer from mental disorders. These disorders cause great distress and difficulty in the

physiological functions of those affected and are often linked to suicidal behavior. With the

rise of the digital age, mental health applications (“MHApps”) have been developed to assist

in mental disorder management. Such apps can serve as adjuncts to disorder patients’

psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy programs. By breaking informational and geographical

barriers, MHApps encourage a more cost-efficient and self-serving approach while reaching

a wide range of users. The Kokoro-App for instance, developed by researchers in Kodaira,

Japan, provided depression patients with a virtual and educational program based on

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—the most widely used approach under psychotherapy

(Watanabe et al., 2015).

Although there are many MHApps on the technological market employing a vast

array of features, none have been found to connect patients with their psychotherapists

outside of face-to-face sessions. Employing this feature can greatly assist in the procedures of

the greatly numbered psychotherapists based in the Philippines. Statistics from 2014 show

that there are only 490 psychiatrists for every 100 million Filipinos, which threatens the

availability of mental disorder treatment in the Philippines (Francisco, 2014).

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Coralde, L.J.S & Datlangin, M.N.C). Development of a Mental Health Web Application For
Mental Disorder Management and Patient-Psychologist Communication.

Objectives of the Study

This project aims to develop and deploy a web mental health app for improving

communication between psychotherapists and their patients while assisting in the

management of common psychiatric disorders. The app will allow for communication

outside face-to-face therapy sessions, it will set a simple yet accessible system for symptom

tracking and monitoring, and it will provide mental disorder patients with different strategies

for mental disorder management through the integration of CBT.

Significance of the Study

This project will streamline the improvement of mental health on a wider scale rather

than just limiting disorder management to face-to-face consultations. The application will

improve communication between psychotherapists and patients and supplement traditional

methods such as pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. In addition to that, the integration of

therapy with technology will increase its accessibility, portability and efficiency for patients

who are suffering from psychiatric disorders.

Scope and Limitations

The app to be constructed will allow for patient-psychologist interaction, provides

CBT-based activities for disorder management, and a patient emergency guide. After the

app’s construction and alpha testing phases, participants will be randomly sampled in

preparation for the beta testing phase. Their eligibility for the test will be determined by their

ability to meet the inclusion criteria, which requires the participants to be mental disorder

patients who periodically consult with a Philippine-based psychiatrist. Before and after the

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Coralde, L.J.S & Datlangin, M.N.C). Development of a Mental Health Web Application For
Mental Disorder Management and Patient-Psychologist Communication.

test, participants will be asked to answer the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Questionnaire. For

the statistical analysis of this data, a paired t-test shall be used to determine whether the

difference between the initial and final PSS scores is significant or not.

The limitations of this project include the unavailability of the MHApp without an

internet connection, which can delay symptom tracking and the communication between the

patient and psychotherapist in emergencies. The app will be constructed solely through visual

programming using the app builder Bubble, which can limit customization and the app’s

responsiveness to different devices.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Francisco, K. (2014, October 10). Only 490 psychiatrists for 100 million Pinoys. Retrieved
February 12, 2018, from https://www.rappler.com/nation/71543-world-mental-health-
day-philippines

Watanabe, N., Horikoshi, M., Yamada, M., Shimodera, S., Akechi, T., Miki, K., … On
behalf of the steering committee of the Fun to Learn to Act and Think through
Technology (FLATT) project. (2015). Adding smartphone-based cognitive-behavior
therapy to pharmacotherapy for major depression (FLATT project): study protocol for a
randomized controlled trial. Trials, 369(95969).

World Health Organization. (2017). Mental disorders. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs396/en/