Understanding Digital Mental Health Needs and Usage With an Artificial Intelligence-Led Mental Health App (Wysa) During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Analysis.

Background: There has been a surge in mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prompted the increased use of digital platforms. However, there is little known about the mental health needs and behaviors of the global population during the pandemic. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap through the analysis of real-world data collected from users of a digital mental health app (Wysa) regarding their engagement patterns and behaviors, as shown by their usage of the service.

Evaluating the Therapeutic Alliance With a Free-Text CBT Conversational Agent (Wysa): A Mixed-Methods Study.

The present study aims to examine whether users perceive a therapeutic alliance with an AI conversational agent (Wysa) and observe changes in the t'herapeutic alliance over a brief time period. A sample of users who screened positively on the PHQ-4 for anxiety or depression symptoms ( = 1,205) of the digital mental health application (app) Wysa were administered the WAI-SR within 5 days of installing the app and gave a second assessment on the same measure after 3 days ( = 226). The anonymised transcripts of user's conversations with Wysa were also examined through content analysis for unprompted elements of bonding between the user and Wysa ( = 950).

Understanding People With Chronic Pain Who Use a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Artificial Intelligence Mental Health App (Wysa): Mixed Methods Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Digital health interventions can bridge barriers in access to treatment among individuals with chronic pain.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the perceived needs, engagement, and effectiveness of the mental health app Wysa with regard to mental health outcomes among real-world users who reported chronic pain and engaged with the app for support.

Methods: Real-world data from users (N=2194) who reported chronic pain and associated health conditions in their conversations with the mental health app were examined using a mixed methods retrospective observational study.

Support Seeking in the Context of Self-Injury Recovery: Perspectives From Individuals With Lived Experience.

A sample of 229 university students responded to open-ended questions for the present study, which aimed to gain a deeper understanding of lived experiences of support seeking in the context of self-injury recovery. Inductive thematic analysis of the responses indicated themes from two domains: the benefits of support seeking and the barriers to support seeking. The first domain highlighted benefits from both professional sources (such as receiving diagnosis and referrals to therapy, learning emotion regulation strategies, and developing an improved understanding of self) and informal sources (such as receiving tangible aid, having a support system, and having a compassionate space).