What does “Mentalo”, this app that aims to assess the “mental well-being” of young French people, look like?

Both a scientific study and an application aimed at young people, the “Mentalo” project was launched on Monday 20 may. This vast survey around the mental health of 11-24 year olds years is carried out by researchers from Inserm and the University of Paris Cité. Its objective is to advance research on the mental health of young people in a fun way. Because specialists are faced with a paradox: on the one hand the mental well-being of children and adolescents is deteriorating, particularly since Covid, but on the other hand, solid scientific data is lacking.

The “Mentalo” study is available in an application of the same name. And researchers hope to see 50 000 young people aged 11 to 24 years register to answer a series of questions asked eight times over the course of a year. Upon arrival, the data collected will make it possible to take a snapshot of the mental health of young people in order to develop appropriate digital prevention programs.

Asking questions via an application allows you to include as many people as possible, unlike a scientific study “classic”, underlines Professor Karine Chevreul, research director at Inserm who is leading the project. Surrounded by other professionals, such as child psychiatrist Richard Delorme, she wants to succeed in understanding the heterogeneity of the mental health of 11-24 year olds: “What is going to affect them for some and not others and how some have a mental well-being that is going to be more unstable when others are going to be much more stable.”

“Mentalo will make it possible to assess the level of mental well-being of young people, which makes them stronger, which makes them more vulnerable.”

Karine Chevreul, research director at Inserm

at franceinfo

Some 300 young people aged 11 to 24, middle and high school students, students and young professionals helped the scientists develop the questionnaires. Without them, “honestly, from the start, I think we would have been wrong”, assures Karine Chevreul who recalls having started by reviewing the literature and having seen specialists in order to build the study. But we also had to speak to the target audience“the way of asking the question will make us feel understood and we identify. So, we will answer sincerely and correctly and that’s really what we wanted.”

Working with young people also made it possible to bring to light questions that the researchers had not thought about: “For example, questions about sleep, and we also added questions like ‘what makes you feel bad?’, ‘what makes you sad?’ or ‘what makes you happy?'”, lists Karine Chevreul. So many questions reformulated and added, “and that’s real construction, it’s not just translation“, rejoices the researcher.

The “Mentalo” study prefers to evoke the “mental well-being” young people rather than their “Mental Health”. “For us, it’s more global, explains Karine Chevreul, health is always either you are well or you are sick. Mental well-being is much broader, that is to say you can not be sick, but not be in the best shape, not feel happy… And that’s is really what we want to encompass.”

“A lot of people have a very negative view of mental health, when in fact it is something that is essential to our lives.”

Karine Chevreul, from Inserm

at franceinfo

The “Mentalo” application is “ultra-confidential and secure” assure its developers. “This allows [aux jeunes] to remain anonymous, to respond calmly in privacy, without them being offended by certain questions, underlines Karine Chevreul. What we want is as much sincerity as possible to have results that are closest to reality and to develop the most relevant programs possible.”

It is also for “trying to break a little this taboo around mental well-being” that Pierre-Adams became involved as a young ambassador in the Mentalo project. For this 24 year old student years, “The deterioration in the mental well-being of young people is something that is alarming. And I, on a daily basis, experience it with friends because of several pressures, at the level of personal life or at the school level.”

“There is a growing uneasiness.”

Pierre-Adams, young Mentalo ambassador

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“Yes, we are directly concerned”abounds Hélène, 23 years old and young active who got involved to push “a lot of young people took part in the study”. “Mental health is a subject that can affect everyone because we very likely have a loved one, a friend, someone around us who is concernedbounces back Pierre-Adams. And we may also not realize that we are affected by mental difficulties. So I think that people simply need to participate in the project, ask themselves questions, perhaps they will realize their state, and, in any case, they will be able to contribute to the advancement of knowledge.”

These young ambassadors think that the application will find its audience. “It’s pleasant, there is a real effort on the aesthetics, as well as on the time spent, because we could have bombed [les participants] of questions, which would have taken several hours each time. There, they tried to be minimalist and aim for efficiency”greets Pierre-Adams.

And the questionnaire also relies on “gamification” to retain its young audience : “It’s the use of certain elements of video games to try to motivate people and above all to try to keep their attention”demystifies the student. Completing the necessary questionnaires, eight in number over a period of one year, allows you to win gifts as a thank you, such as access to cultural or sporting events. Several athletes, like Laura Flessel, a former fencer, support the “Mentalo” approach.

Registration is possible until the end of May 2025, while the survey will end in 2026. But results and solutions will be “unveiled along the water”, promise the researchers. A parallel application is being developed in order to offer lasting solutions identified using Mentalo. “MentalPlus” will be launched in early 2025.