{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T12:00:50Z","timestamp":1790596850495,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Royal College of Psychiatrists","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790553600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":27,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BJPsych open"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"S2056472426120985_as1\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Mental health problems have long-lasting impacts and often begin in adolescence, yet young people face multiple barriers to accessing care and support, including a fragmented system, limited awareness of services and stigma. Afloat was developed to guide users to suitable support.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S2056472426120985_as2\">\n                    <jats:title>Aims<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to (a) co-develop a mobile app to support young people\u2019s access to mental healthcare and support; and (b) evaluate its acceptability, potential impact on service use, mental health outcomes and economic implications.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S2056472426120985_as3\">\n                    <jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Afloat was co-developed with young people to provide information on available support, and included personal stories from peers and links to care resources. A pilot evaluation involved 105 participants aged 16\u201325 years from London, UK. Participants completed surveys at baseline and 3 months to assess changes in mental health, service use, stigma and self-identification of mental health issues. App usage was monitored through analytics. A budget-impact analysis estimated financial implications of Afloat implementation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S2056472426120985_as4\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants reported high acceptability and satisfaction. After 3 months, there was an increase in the likelihood of help-seeking and a reduction in mental health symptoms. The increase in actual service use was significant only among those with mild-to-moderate symptoms. Budget-impact analysis indicated potentially increased costs from additional service use.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S2056472426120985_as5\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Afloat shows preliminary promise as a tool associated with increased help-seeking and improved mental health. Long-term benefits of timely intervention may offset short-term costs from increased service use, although this requires formal evaluation. Further research is required to assess long-term outcomes and economic implications.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2026.12098","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T11:28:14Z","timestamp":1790594894000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Improving access to mental health support for young people: development and evaluation of the Afloat mobile app"],"prefix":"10.1192","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4691-2630","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Evans-Lacko","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0090zs177","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"London School of Economics and Political 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