title: Text Messaging for Psychiatric Outpatients: Effect on Help-Seeking and Self-Harming Behaviors.
abstract: A mobile phone intervention was developed and tested with 30 psychiatric outpatients with mental illness, who had high ideation for suicide. The intervention involved promoting help-seeking behaviors by sending text messages, including information about social welfare services and reminders about medical appointments, for 6 months. After the intervention period, the number of participants who used social services significantly increased, and more than 80% of participants reported that the text messaging service was helpful and useful. Compared to baseline, participants' self-harming behaviors decreased and the attending psychiatrists rated their suicide ideation as weaker. This is the first intervention study to promote psychiatric patients' help-seeking using text messaging, and although it was not a randomized controlled trial, this intervention has practical value and may lead to the prevention of suicide.
authors.forename: Toyohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Syouji
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takaki
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukutake
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taira
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D040421:Cell Phone; D005260:Female; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010045:Outpatients; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D017010:Reminder Systems; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013405:Suicide; D017216:Telemedicine; D060145:Text Messaging