An eHealth Intervention to Increase Depression Treatment Initiation and Adherence Among Veterans Referred for Mental Health Services

Depression is the most prevalent mental health condition among VHA patients and is strongly associated with poor functioning, negative health outcomes, and suicide. Despite effective and available treatments, engagement in care is poor. This study will analyze VHA electronic medical record data, to identify patient characteristics associated with poor treatment engagement. The study will then develop and formatively evaluate an eHealth intervention to improve and sustain engagement in mental health care through self-monitoring. This is an important step in engaging Veterans who, in part, based on their military training, may have difficulty identifying or accepting depressed affect and the benefits of treatment. The information obtained will inform clinical strategies and operations policy to improve quality, coordination, and efficiency of mental health services.

My goal is to optimize treatment outcomes for Veterans with depression. To experience positive outcomes, Veterans must begin care promptly when needed and remain engaged in care. Depression imposes a great burden of illness and disability for the OEF/OIF Veteran population. As few as 30% of Veterans initiate treatment after referrals for mental health services and adherence after initiation is low. Untreated depression is strongly linked to suicide mortality, drug abuse, and persistent impairment leading to poor health outcomes. The VHA has focused on increasing access to evidence-based treatments (EBTs) as the gold standard for treating depression, however the guidelines do not address Veterans who are lost to care. This is a missed opportunity to engage Veterans who fail to initiate traditional treatment or drop out early, often due to discomfort and lack of awareness of certain depression symptoms or need for care, which translates to reduced self-efficacy to engage. Furthermore, measurement-based care-the utilization of systematic symptom assessments over time to drive changes in treatment-is recommended for care in VHA. Patients at risk for dropping out of care may find systematic assessments acceptable and effective for supporting engagement in EBTs if their symptoms persist. This study addresses treatment initiation and adherence among depressed Veterans who are referred to mental health care. Specifically, the investigators will test an innovative self-monitoring program for Veterans with depression which has the potential to facilitate both treatment uptake and sustained engagement. The proposed research will test a patient centered, self-monitoring eHealth intervention focused on systematic measurement and feedback for Veterans with depression, as well as supportive messages providing VA related information and coping strategies that Veterans elect. The intervention will be initiated when patients are referred for care. This program will continue to help Veterans monitor during treatment if they so desire, as self-monitoring has been found to increase the likelihood of treatment response. The objectives of this study are to formatively evaluate this process and provide preliminary support to then evaluate the efficacy/effectiveness of this intervention in a future study. This project is aligned with the VHA HSR\&D priorities in mental health and improving access to care and high-priority research topics for mental and behavioral health. Findings from this study have the potential to lead to transdiagnostic research, especially for PTSD, TBI, and suicide.