Salelew Endalamaw, Srahbzu Mengesha, Diges Tsehay, Yeniakal Habtamu Genet, Begashaw Gebeyehu, Tadele Tesfaye, Hailu Tewodiros, Degef Wondimagegn, Bazezew Fikirnesh, Demilew Demeke, Belachew Melsew
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Gondar, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Department of Information Science, College of Informatics, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Discov Ment Health. 2025 Mar 11;5(1):35. doi: 10.1007/s44192-025-00158-w.
Mental health mobile applications are a cost-effective and scalable answer to the world's psychiatrist shortage and limited access to care in remote areas. However, there is currently no mobile application for providing mental health interventions in Ethiopia. Therefore, this project aimed to develop and test the preliminary effectiveness and acceptability of an Android-based mobile application for mental health information, psychological self-testing, and treatment recommendation during COVID-19 and beyond.
We conducted a preliminary assessment to review experiences and demands associated with the mental health mobile apps. Object-oriented modeling and the Agile Development software development methodology were employed. Android Studio's layout editor, resource management, palette, and theme editor were used. We utilized Java as the programming language for writing application code, eXtensible Markup Language (XML) to construct the overall structure of the app, and SQLite to save data locally on the user's device. To ensure quality, tests were performed on a regular basis throughout the development process.
The project developed an Android-based mobile app for mental health information, psychological self-testing, and treatment recommendations for COVID-19. A preliminary assessment found no existing mobile apps for mental health care. Of participants, 94.6% believed mental health apps benefit the public, patients, and healthcare professionals. However, some individuals opposed the app due to concerns about self-treatment and medication misuse.
The study indicates a high demand for a mental health mobile app, but few participants fear self-treatment or drug abuse. Apps that support native languages are recommended, and nonpharmacological treatments should be used in conjunction with clinician consultation.
心理健康移动应用程序是解决全球精神科医生短缺以及偏远地区医疗服务获取受限问题的一种经济高效且可扩展的方式。然而，埃塞俄比亚目前尚无用于提供心理健康干预的移动应用程序。因此，本项目旨在开发并测试一款基于安卓系统的移动应用程序在新冠疫情期间及之后提供心理健康信息、心理自我测试和治疗建议的初步有效性和可接受性。
我们进行了一项初步评估，以审视与心理健康移动应用程序相关的经验和需求。采用了面向对象建模和敏捷开发软件开发方法。使用了安卓工作室的布局编辑器、资源管理、调色板和主题编辑器。我们使用Java作为编写应用程序代码的编程语言，使用可扩展标记语言（XML）构建应用程序的整体结构，并使用SQLite在用户设备上本地保存数据。为确保质量，在整个开发过程中定期进行测试。
该项目开发了一款基于安卓系统的移动应用程序，用于提供心理健康信息、心理自我测试以及针对新冠疫情的治疗建议。初步评估发现尚无现有的心理健康护理移动应用程序。在参与者中，94.6%的人认为心理健康应用程序有益于公众、患者和医疗保健专业人员。然而，一些人因担心自我治疗和药物滥用而反对该应用程序。
该研究表明对心理健康移动应用程序有很高的需求，但少数参与者担心自我治疗或药物滥用。建议开发支持母语的应用程序，并且非药物治疗应与临床医生咨询相结合使用。
