Help-seeking attitudes and behaviours for mental health problems in adolescents before and during the first COVID-19 school closures in Germany.

AIM: Comparing measures of psychological wellbeing and help-seeking in youths before and within the first school closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic enables a better understanding of the effects the pandemic has for those seeking professional help for mental health problems. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Germany-based ProHEAD school study. Pre-lockdown and lockdown samples (n = 648) were compared regarding pupils' psychological wellbeing, help-seeking attitudes and help-seeking behaviour. RESULTS: Participants from the lockdown sample showed greater positive attitudes towards seeking professional help, whereas psychological wellbeing and help-seeking behaviour remained stable. CONCLUSIONS: Possible explanations may include an increased public discourse on mental health or self-selection bias for participation during lockdown.

Editorial Perspective: A plea for the sustained implementation of digital interventions for young people with mental health problems in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the consequent global lockdown posed a particular challenge for youths with mental health problems. Crucial interference with their everyday lives likely increased psychological distress while accessibility of conventional mental health care was limited. Ongoing online trials offer a unique opportunity to analyse mental health status and help-seeking behaviour of adolescents during the pandemic. The ProHEAD-online trial aims at improving help-seeking behaviour of children and adolescents with significant psychological impairment. From January to May 2020, 1,042 students had access to the ProHEAD-online platform providing information on mental illness, monitoring, peer support and professional counselling. In the week from 11 March, when schools were closed in Germany, a drastic (more than 2 standard deviations) but time-limited increase in utilization of the ProHEAD-online services became apparent. This may indicate a worsened mental health status and an increased help seeking via digital services during the lockdown. Although this finding is purely observational, it speaks to the importance of evidence-based online service in the field of mental health within the current crisis and beyond.