ADHD: Is there an app for that?

This month Lauren Powell attended the Royal College of Psychiatrists International Congress 2017 in Edinburgh. 

Here she presented a poster that showcased a project conducted by Lauren Powell, Miss Naomi Robertson (University of Sheffield Psychology student), Dr Jack Parker and Dr Val Harpin (Sheffield Children's Hospital consultant paediatrician). 

CATCH Academics’ article published in BMJ Open

A paper by members of CATCH is published in the current issue of the BMJ Open under the category of Mental Health.

The article: E-therapies in England for stress, anxiety or depression: what is being used in the NHS? A survey of mental health services is authored by CATCH PhD student, Matt Bennion and CATCH academics Dr Abi Millings and Professor Roger Moore who have been joined by Professor Gillian Hardy from the Department of Psychology at the University of Sheffield.

The study aimed to document the range of web and smartphone apps used and recommended for stress, anxiety or depression by the NHS in England.

It found that there were 13 different web apps and 35 different smartphone apps for depression, anxiety or stress available through either referral services or the online NHS Apps Libraries. The apps used and recommended vary by area and by point of access.

The paper concludes that future research is required to establish the evidence base for the apps that are being used in the NHS in England.

You can read the article and share it with your networks here http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/1/e014844. For more information about this study, please contact Laura Murray.

ADHD: is there an app for that?

My name is Naomi Robertson and I am an undergraduate Psychology student taking part in

Naomi robertson

an 8 week research project as a Research Assistant alongside supervisor Lauren Powell and co- supervisor Dr Jack Parker. For this project I have conducted a content analysis for ten apps that claim to be suitable for children and young people diagnosed with the neurodisabiity, Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder (ADHD). My placement is part of the Teaching Assistant Sheffield Undergraduate Research Scheme (TA SURE). The project is being conducted within the Telehealth and care technologies (TaCT) theme of the National Institute of Health’s Collaboration for Leadership and Applied Health Research and Care Yorkshire Humber (NIHR CLAHRC YH). The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have funded my placement.

This research topic appealed to me, as it is contemporary, investigating how the growth in technology can be harnessed and used as a tool for the management of ADHD, which affects 5% of the population. This area of research I also find very exciting as it is in its infancy meaning the findings may offer new insights, which have not yet been published by other researchers.

So far my role as a Research Assistant has involved the identification of ten apps for children and young people with ADHD, which were screened based on a strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final list of 10 apps have been presented to five clinicians who work with young people with ADHD. These clinicians were interviewed on their perspective on how useful the apps would be for young people as they seek to manage their ADHD.

This research placement has given me new insight into what carrying out research first hand looks like, when it previously seemed so distant simply citing studies throughout my degree. Having the opportunity to experience the practicalities of research as well as the enthusiasm of the researchers is unique and something I feel very lucky to have.

Throughout my time in TaCT I have also had countless opportunities to develop new skills from conducting and transcribing interviews, writing research documents, undertaking interview data analysis and learning more about ADHD as a disorder which has many parallels with my Psychology degree.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with TaCT and the chance to conduct independent research whilst having the support of such great supervisors. It has allowed me to have an idea about what conducting research involves without feeling overwhelmed in something I have never done before. I am excited about completing my placement and presenting my findings to an audience which I have gained more enthusiasm for than I could ever have anticipated.  

Written by Naomi Robertson

TA SURE Scheme Summer Placement working with IN-LIFE

I applied to the TA SURE Scheme in November due to recommendation from an older

Emily Preston-Jones

student that it was extremely good experience. The scheme offered around 30 projects from related departments within the faculty of science, each of which had a short video explaining their aim. One of particular interest to me was the IN-LIFE (Independent Living Support Functions for the Elderly) project led by Sarah Smith from CATCH. IN-LIFE is a multidisciplinary European project working to prolong and support independent living for people with cognitive impairments using technology, with Sheffield being the only UK base. I was lucky enough to be matched with Sarah from my interview panel and began working with her in June. The project involves working with people with dementia to improve their wellbeing through a series of group sessions using a system called CIRCA (Computer Interactive Reminiscence and Conversation Aid). CIRCA is a fantastic system, operated using a touchscreen, that presents old photographs, videos and music within different themes (such as Childhood) in order to stimulate reminiscence and discussion. It has been shown that meaningful interactions and conversation are two of the most frequently reported unmet needs by people living with dementia, and in the absence of a cure, it is essential that research focuses on the social and psychological aspects of dementia.

I am currently half way through my placement and have accompanied Sarah to many of the group sessions within Sheffcare residential homes. Sheffcare is the leading provider of dementia care in Sheffield. Additionally I have shadowed Sarah taking the pre and post intervention questionnaires that will allow us to measure the effects of CIRCA on cognition, Quality of Life and Health for each participant.

The focus of my placement, however, is not the group sessions. I have conducted my own case study research using CIRCA in a one to one context with an elderly gentleman who is confined to his room due to the effects of Pneumonia. There were 4 sessions in total, each lasting around an hour, in which we explored the media that CIRCA had to offer and see what conversation it prompted. Each session was video recorded so that any emerging themes could be identified without the distraction of explicit note taking by the researcher. The sessions were incredibly successful and stimulated much conversation, laughter and enjoyment from both myself and the participant.

I am now in the process of analysing the data and highlighting any emergent themes within each, and all, of the sessions. I will hopefully be conducting a further case study with another gentleman and his wife, to explore dyadic participation using CIRCA, and whether the same or different themes emerge. Once the data has been analysed I aim to write an academic paper based on the research that I have conducted, with the hope of it being published in a relevant journal next year.

To learn more about this projects please visit the links below:

http://www.catch.org.uk/current-project/inlife/

http://www.inlife-project.eu/

Written by Emily Preston-Jones, BSc Psychology Undergraduate

CATCH PhD student enters Represent Your Research Competition

Matt Bennion entered his video in the Represent your Research competition. The video was created by him and his cousin Joshua Betts, a student at the University of Staffordshire.

The video gives a great overview of eTherapy and the problems that older adults have with using and accessing it.

Mental well-being is comprised of three key components emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Problems with mental well-being can occur at any point in our lives. 1 in 5 older adults have a mental well-being problem such as depression or anxiety.

Due to limited capacity, NHS mental health services are only capable of helping 15% of those who need help. To help combat this situation we need to offer patients more treatment options.

Look at the video to learn more about Matt’s research, how he will use “Manage Your Life Online – MYLO” created by Dr Warren Mansell at the University of Manchester, and his four studies that will be carried out at CATCH. This is part of the THAW project and will be supervised by Dr Abigail Millings, Prof Roger More and Prof Gillian Hardy.

You can view the video at: https://youtu.be/djTNx0-z8QI

The more hits the video receives the more chance Matt has of winning the competition as it’s based on how much viral impact it makes!

Please share this link!