A smartphone app designed to help young people in the north take control of their own mental health has been launched in Inverness.
The “Bee Appy” app is the latest development by Mikeysline, a charity set up following the deaths of two friends from the city.
In October last year Michael ‘Mikey’ Williamson, was found dead in his home in Inverness. Days earlier, Mikey’s close friend, construction worker Martin Shaw had also been found dead.
Both were 23 years old and had struggled with their mental health, and are feared to have taken their own lives.
A text message service staffed by volunteers was launched in December last year to provide support for young people dealing with depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts.
Last night Mikey’s uncle, Ron Williamson, said that the app will be available for Android phones on Monday and for iPhones on Wednesday, and is a “major step up” from the text service.
He added: “It’s phase two of Mikeysline and it’s blasting some of the myths and breaking the cobwebs where people think they are alone and are ashamed of mental illness. It includes links to videos which shows them they are not alone.”
Mr Williamson said that the app is unique in that it allows young people to take control of their own mental health.
Users can not only find out information about where to seek advice, but chart a record of what causes negative thoughts and what types of situations help them deal with this.
He added: “This is the first interactive app where people can go into it and annotate how they get into a depressed state on a particular day, what the stress was and keep notes on how they came out of it. They can keep notes on coping strategies. You are in control of your own notes.
“When a lot of people see a doctor they can’t remember what caused the stress and the conversation can be mumbled, whereas this information can be shown to a doctor or a counselor.”