ArticlePLOS digital health2023
Seeking help for mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal analysis of adults' experiences with digital technologies and services.
Article in PLOS digital health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Attitudes and Expectations Towards Mental Health Interventions in the General Population: Comparing Face-to-Face Counseling, Blended Counseling, and Digital or On-Paper Self-Help.Clinical psychology in Europe · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic brought about dramatic changes in how patients access healthcare from its outset. Lockdown restrictions and remote working led to a proliferation of digital technologies and services, which also impacted mental health provisions. Against the backdrop of new and changing support services, along with an unprecedented emphasis on mental health, relatively little is known about how adults sought out and received support for their mental health during this period. With a sample of 27,574 adults assessed longitudinally online over 12 months of the pandemic in the UK, we analysed reports of help-seeking for mental health, as well as sources of treatment or support and the perceived helpfulness of treatments received. We observed that the proportions of participants who reported seeking help remained relatively consistent throughout the 12-month period (ranging from 12.6% to 17.0%). Online talking therapies were among the most frequently sought sources (15.3%), whereas online self-guided treatments were among the least frequently sought sources (5%). Telephone lines, both NHS and non-governmental, had marked treatment 'gaps'. These treatment gaps, where individuals sought treatment but did not receive it, were especially evident for men and older adults. Our findings underscore online talking therapies as being a widely-sought and helpful source of mental health support. This is important given the current global need for accessible treatment options.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.