Digital Pioneer: Michelle Eskinazi, ARIES project

Dr Michelle Eskinazi works on the App to support Recovery In Early intervention Services (ARIES) study at Camden and Islington NHS Trust, which has developed smartphone app ‘My Journey 3’ to support recovery in psychosis.

My Journey 3 is designed to help people build confidence, learn skills to help take back control, and reduce the chance of experiencing psychosis again.

“We found that online and smartphone-based interventions seemed to be feasible, safe, and appealing to people with psychosis, but found no existing self-management app for Early Intervention Services,” explains Michelle.

“We drew from existing recovery and relapse booklets to develop an app where users can make plans for their recovery and find out what to do if they feel unwell in the future. It also keeps track of how they’re doing and any medication they are taking, and provides information about mental health and mental health services. Users can also choose to share their recovery and relapse prevention plans and records of their progress via email with their mental health workers, friends, family, or other contacts.”

“During the development we consulted a working group of people with experience of Early Intervention Services. This led to additional development, including a reward system to help promote longer-term engagement and motivation to practise self-management skills.”

Learn more about ARIES by reading our case study.