Co‑producing digital mental health resources with marginalised youth in Ireland

Mental health is a global issue, and it is critical to ensure that young people have the skills and resources they require to flourish in an increasingly complicated, technologically driven, and competitive society.While there are practical evidence-based approaches to supporting young people's mental health, their application in practice is fragmented. According to research, some digital mental health resources can improve young people's access to mental health services and support, particularly marginalised young people with mental health issues who might otherwise struggle to seek help. However, existing research reveals that digital mental health services for marginalised youth have a low reach and uptake. Research on young individuals who use digital mental health tools has demonstrated low adherence and significant dropout rates. A major reason why young people, particularly those from marginalised groups, do not use digital mental health tools is that these resources were not designed with their input or needs in mind.Young people are generally extremely adept at detecting authenticity, so pushing digital mental health solutions to them without including them in the development process or ensuring the information is relevant to their lives is likely to be perceived as inappropriate or detached.The authors will present findings from creative workshops conducted with youth aged 16-25 on the island of Ireland, including marginalised groups, to explore mental health challenges, needs, current supports, and (digital) resources they use in order to identify the potential role that digital technologies can play in mental health. The findings serve as the foundation for a larger all-Ireland project to identify, with young people, the most useful digital mental health apps and interventions; validate, in partnership with young people, which digital mental health resources are effective; and use these findings to inform recommendations for policy and practice.