Online therapy and video calls could transform the lives of children with anxiety and depression

With one in five young people suffering from a mental health issue, Dr Miriam Stoppard reveals the new digital support developed by Oxford University that could be rolled out across the NHS and in schools and colleges

Urgent action is needed for ­children, ­adolescents and adults with mental health ­conditions. And here’s a fresh idea getting results.

A suite of new online therapies, ­developed and ­validated by experts at Oxford ­University is available to tackle anxiety disorders and mental health conditions across all age groups.

Patients work through a series of online modules with the brief support of a therapist through short phone or video calls and messages.

Excellent results have led to a new commercial partnership between Oxford University Innovation and Koa Health.

The company is making the programmes available to patients across many NHS services, beginning in West Sussex, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Leicestershire, Bradford, North Tyneside and London.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ­recommends nine online therapies for the NHS, schools and colleges to use.

This new approach is badly needed as one in five children and young people in England aged eight to 25 has a mental disorder and one in four adults in England experiences at least one mental health problem in any given year.

Professor Cathy Creswell, of Oxford University, whose team pioneered the work, says the online platforms provide practical tools with guidance and support to help tackle anxiety issues from home.

Oxford University’s Professor David Clark adds: “Internet programmes that deliver optimal treatment for both adolescents and adults have the potential to transform lives and enable people to realise their true potential at school, in the workplace and in society.”

Professor Anke Ehlers, of Oxford University, who led the work on ­ post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), says: “Recovery rates and ­improvements in quality of life are excellent. Our clients value being able to work on the ­treatment from home at a time convenient to them.”

The Oxford teams and Koa Health will work together to assist the work across NHS Trusts and in schools over the coming year.

Dr Jon Wheatley, Clinical Lead at City and Hackney, NHS North East London, said he’s looking forward to embracing digital technology with Koa Health on programmes that are engaging and empowering for patients.

Professor Miranda Wolpert, Director of Mental Health at global charitable foundation Wellcome, is positive too.

“These important online therapies have arisen from more than three decades of thorough science,” she says.

“Digital therapies have the potential to transform millions of people’s lives around the world. We look forward to supporting more digital innovation in the years to come.”