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According to a study, a smartphone app designed to handle negative emotions and periods of anxiety could help reduce self-harm among young people.
BlueIce is a prescribed application – in other words, access must be given by healthcare professionals – and is designed to be used with traditional face-to-face therapies.
It was developed by Professor Paul Stallard, Clinical Psychologist at the University of Bath, in collaboration with patient groups.
A series of articles published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research suggests that this could help combat self-harm in young people.
Professor Stallard, Head of Psychological Therapies for the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said the idea of implementation stems from his work with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
"Many of the young people I worked with were self-mutilating, but almost all of them had their mobile phones nearby," he said.
"Our Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust Youth Engagement Group thought that a smartphone app could be a way to help in times of distress and, with their input, we produced BlueIce.
"BlueIce is a prescribed application to use alongside traditional appointments with a child and a teenager.
"It helps the young person to monitor and manage their unpleasant emotions and find other ways to deal with the situation.
"The reactions of the young users have been extremely positive and their potential to change the lives of young British and international is enormous."
The name BlueIce refers to the low mood and in case of emergency (ICE).
It is included in the NHS Applications Library, which contains applications that have been the subject of clinical and technical badyzes.
BlueIce has a mood wheel allowing young people to track their mood each day, adding notes on what they feel and what they do.
If a low mood is reported, users are automatically directed to a mood lift section that includes activities to reduce distress.
Options include ideas from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), as well as custom music and photo libraries and mindfulness guides.
The application can also bring users to emergency contacts such as Childline and Service 111.
Professor Stallard badyzed the impact of 12 weeks of use of the application on a group of 40 youths from 12 to 17 years old.
He found that 73% of those involved stopped or reduced their self-harm through the application.
BlueIce is currently used by CAMHS in Bath, North East Somserset, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.
It is being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial at the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne.
In September, Professor Stallard will begin a trial to determine if BlueIce would reduce the number of youth admitted to A & E.
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