Does Online Peer Support Help with Mental Health?
Mental health is a hot topic at the moment and the full scale of the impact it is having across swathes of the population, including young people, is increasingly apparent and disturbing. It is estimated that a quarter of young people between the ages of 16 -25 will experience at least one mental health problem and the likelihood is that this figure is actually vastly underestimated. Unfortunately, due to many barriers to entry, seeking support is often easier said than done and as a result many are going untreated. The World Health Organization estimates that between 35%-50% of people with severe mental health problems in developed countries, and 76–85% in developing countries, receive no treatment.
Aside from the practical barriers (e.g. costs of care and waiting times), it also can be difficult and scary to share your feelings for the first time. Stigma, fear of consequences and struggling to find the right words all play a big part in preventing people from getting the support they need. This is where peer support can play a really important role. Giving young people a safe place where they can practice expressing themselves and start asking for support can not only have positive impacts on mental health, it can help them to reach out in other settings too.
When I was suicidal, self harming and not eating TalkLife was the only place I felt like I could be honest. I made friends with people going through the same thing and was encouraged to talk to my parents and get professional help. I love this app because people are so willing to help strangers, and the global community means that there’s always people online. When I’m having a breakdown at 4am, where else am I going to have someone say to me ‘It’s all going to be okay, talk to me’.
TalkLife is a new kind of peer support social network where people can talk about the ups and downs of life in a safe, non-judgmental and engaging environment. Whether it’s self-harm, anxiety, depression, problems with school, relationships or bullying. It’s a place where it’s ok to share openly with no need to sugar coat or pretend, no waiting times, cost or fear of repercussions. TalkLife is all about authenticity, about embracing all of ourselves.
I remember I typed “alone” in the app store . I scrolled down and the last app in the results was Talklife. I find it great because you can just say your opinion or look for help and most of the time there will be support. You are less alone, even though it’s only online.
It’s really tough to open up and tell someone how you’re feeling and to find the words to convey it to someone else. However, talking to someone who has been there and can relate can make those first steps easier to navigate and can be a very effective entry point to support seeking.
TalkLife is free to use, anonymous and will instantly connect you with likeminded people across the globe at anytime of the day or night. (You can read more here — https://talklife.co
Peer Support and it’s role in Mental Health
A system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement of what is helpful. Peer support is not based on psychiatric models and diagnostic criteria. It is about understanding another’s situation empathically through the shared experience of emotional and psychological pain. (Sherry Mead, 2003)
Peer support has long been a well evidenced intervention for mental health as well as many other health conditions. It has shown time and time again to have positive impacts on levels of hope, empowerment and quality of life (Bellamy et al 2017) and contribute to recovery.
Davidson et al (2018) review over 30 research papers that evidence the positive impact of peer support and conclude that people who are in recovery from mental illnesses have insider knowledge of what it takes to have a ‘life well lived’ with mental illness and are perfectly placed to offer support but also to reap benefits themselves for performing this role.
However, evidence for online peer support is more embryonic and more research is needed. As such, innovators in this space have a responsibility to ensure they are evidence based and impact focused. This is one of the cornerstones of TalkLife’s work. We partner with researchers across the globe to contribute to our understanding of mental health, young people and the role of technology within this.
TalkLife and Research
We are currently working alongside partners at MIT, Microsoft Research, and Harvard University to use human-in-the-loop machine learning to better understand, predict and support people with self-harm. This groundbreaking research will help us understand self-harming behaviour in a way that has not been possible before and to develop practical, effective ways to help our users suffering from it.
We are also working with researchers from the University of Cornell to run a randomized control trial of the platform to explore the role of TalkLife, in providing support and facilitating recovery processes among individuals with NSSI.
However, in addition to our formal research programme some of the most powerful evidence for the difference that peer support can make comes directly from those who are benefitting from it.
When I first came upon TalkLife a few years ago I wasn’t in the best place mentally. I was constantly being admitted into treatment program involuntary for a month at time. I was sent to residential treatment. I used TalkLife, as I didn’t feel safe talking to people I knew, and talking to stranger helped me get my feelings out. As time went in I started to slowly improve, less hospitalization and I no longer needed as much supervision. I was finally getting control of my life, no more thinking that I shouldn’t be here. I was worth it, and I deserve my spot here. Now in college I still need the occasional support, but it’s different then years ago. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t find TalkLife.
The Role for Peer Support
Peer support is not a one stop shop to fix mental health and it isn’t a treatment for mental illness in itself. What it can do, and does really well, is complement existing treatment options, provide ongoing support and foster communities where talking, sharing and supporting is normalized and we encourage people to be their authentic selves. To share not only what is going on for us but to be there as a listening ear for others has such potential to provide support. Sometimes we underestimate the power that normal human beings can have on each other just by being there!
We are excited to be building our research partnerships throughout the coming months and to continue to innovate, understand and explore more options for how online peer support can have an impact.
If you want to know more or are interested in research opportunities please get in touch at hello@TalkLife.co
For More information visit — TalkLife.co
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Chyrell Bellamy, Timothy Schmutte, Larry Davidson, (2017) “An update on the growing evidence base for peer support”, Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 21 Issue: 3, pp.161–167, https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-03-2017-0014
