Nuked Many of the apps available on the Apple App Store or Google play may not be following best practices, or connecting people with appropriate resources.
Many people feel more comfortable looking for information or seeking help online. But that makes it even more important that the digital tools people turn to are up to the highest standards for prevention.
If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help.
The U.S. has the most emergency emergency emergency responders in the U.S.. The U.S. is one of the most serious countries in the country.
The National suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. It is 1-800-273-8255.
Trevor project: 1-866-488-7386. Trevor project includes 1-866-488-7386.
The International Association for suicide prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Use the weekly newsquiz to test your knowledge of stories you saw on CNN.
befrienders.org/need-to-talk.org/need-to-to-talk is a web Web site. befrienders: org/need-to-talk.
‘not only could there be nothing useful about them, in fact, they could be harmful,’ says Igor galynker, director of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel suicide research and prevention laboratory. Other experts were also worried about people relying on unregulated apps to deal with suicide prevention.
The new analysis was published in the journal BMC medicine. The authors assessed 69 apps that targeted people with depression. They did n’t include any applications aimed at health care providers.
The assessments looked to see how many of six broad, evidence-based strategies for suicide prevention the apps employed. They looked at strategies that have been developed by expert groups in the United States, United Kingdom, and the World Health Organization.
Only 7 percent of the apps included all six strategies, including stay alive. Most apps included one, two, or three of the strategies.
The findings were n’t surprising because many health apps do n’t follow evidence-based guidelines. Authors josip car, director of the global eHealth unit at Imperial College London, and Laura martinengo, a PhD student at Nanyang technological University in Singapore, said that it’s particularly disappointing to see in this area of health.
Their analysis showed that there’s little oversight of the specific information contained within these apps.’our findings show the lack of self-regulation and self-monitoring of the industry,’ they wrote.
The Verge has twice emailed Google and Apple for comment, and will update this with their response. Google Play says that apps with misleading medical content are in violation of their policies.
Health providers currently have very few ways to study the potential positive or negative consequences these apps may have. Researchers are n’t entirely sure whether the strategies developed in clinical settings for preventing suicide stay effective.
At this point, apps may be able to supplement care from a doctor or professional. But they should n’t be used as the sole treatment or management tool for depression or suicidal ideation.
