The challenge
One in six young people in the UK has a mental health disorder, yet 75% of them will never be able to access any support. Demand for support is increasing. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) cost £881 million a year, and between 2017 and 2022 the number of referrals increased by 275%. In 2018, only 31% of children referred to CAMHS received treatment within a year (Children’s Comissioner). Aware that CAMHS is overwhelmed, GP’s only refer the most serious cases, yet 30% of all referrals are rejected (Ball et al, 2023) and, somewhat inevitably, 36% of all referrals are re-referrals (Hansen, 2021). The least advantaged young people are most likely to have mental health issues, yet they are the least likely to get treatment.
The solution
Tellmi is a scalable, cost-effective digital peer support solution that enables young people to help themselves by helping each other. Tellmi provides young people with access to continuous 365-day support with no referrals and no waiting lists.
The app is anonymous, which makes it easier to be open, and age-banding ensures that young people are always talking to peers who are within two years of their own age. Filtering by topic allows young people to connect to others who have had similar experiences and helps those struggling with specific mental or physical health conditions to realise that they are not alone.
The app is 100% pre-moderated by trained human moderators. Pre-emptive intervention by qualified counsellors means that when young people make high risk posts, they don’t have to ask for help, help comes to them. Trained SuperPeers® ensure that every post gets a good reply.
Currently, 56% of Tellmi users are LGBT+, 17% are Autistic, 4% are physically disabled and 3% are in the social care system.
The impact
- Independent evaluation by the Evidence Based Practice Unit at University College London and the Anna Freud Centre found statistically significant evidence that the Tellmi app improves mental health outcomes for young people (Ravaccia et al., 2022).
- Using Tellmi increased confidence and connectedness, improved mental health self-management skills and helped young to feel better and less alone.
- York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC, 2023) economic evaluation of Tellmi in which the draft model estimates a cost saving of £196 to the NHS per child in a one-year period (YHEC, 2023 in review).
For more information, visit: https://www.tellmi.help/