One of the challenges that were discovered for the imTEEN project was the wait times involved with receiving Mental Health support and resources, which are quite high, be it in a clinical or community setting. In addition, retention of clinical advice provided at any given intervention, along with long waits between each intervention, cause a lot of distress for young people seeking out assistance. Lastly, there is a stigma that surrounds identifying a mental illness, seeking out the support that is needed, and reaching out for help when it is needed.
With the app being available across mobile devices, it provides self-help and maintenance in the comforts of youths’ own homes, in a manner where they are comfortable getting help. It has bridged gaps between clinical interventions, as well as serves as a mechanism to provide support while individuals await clinical care. Finally, one of the available functions, should the user feel it is required, enables the user to be able to communicate with their healthcare provider, family member or friend through the application itself.
