Depression and Anxiety

Biography

Biography: Russell Pine

Abstract

Despite mental health disorders being significantly under-reported in most countries, the global burden of disease has stated that there is a higher prevalence of mental disorders than ever before. Specifically, approximately 10-20% of adolescents (10-19-year olds will experience a mental health concerns (WHO, 2017). Although it has been estimated that half of all mental ill-health start by 15 years of age, most adolescents are undetected and untreated. Furthermore a growing body of research suggests that there a number of treatments which exist for anxiety and depression however, there are challenges and implications to their uptake. Therefore, providing alternative opportunities to access treatment is imperative. Statistics from the casual video game association show that mini games (e.g., angry birds and candy crush) are played by more than 200 million players worldwide and adolescents are one of the most frequent users. When considering adolescent’s engagement with Casual Video Games (CVGs) and the need to address mental ill health in this population, CVGs may appear to be a feasible option for supporting mental health. In order to investigate this, the current study involved multiple phases. First, a systematic review of the literature was carefully conducted to understand the effects of CVGs for mental ill-health. Second, a large-scale co-design process and a qualitative feedback investigation took place with youth across New Zealand to shape SPARKY, a CVG based upon psychological theories. Third, the development of a trial will take place to understand the effects of SPARKY on adolescent’s mental ill-health.