Jain N, Singh H, Koolwal GD, Kumar S, & Gupta A. (2015). Opportunities and barriers in service delivery through mobile phones (mHealth) for severe mental illnesses in Rajasthan, India: A multi-site study. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, Advance online publication. PMID: 25701069.
As the population of mobile phones users in India is growing, options for treatment of severe mental illness (SMI) by phone are expanding. This study surveyed 201 clients attending three free treatment clinics for SMI in Rajasthan, India. Respondents were primarily diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The majority had access to mobile phones. Depending on the region, 72-92% of respondents had mobile phones, although only 1-6% had smartphones. Between 46-65% of respondents reported using prepaid plans. Because of this, respondents noted affordability and signal strength as major barriers to using mobile phones for SMI treatment. Overall, they felt that a crisis helpline is the most important service that could be provided by phone. Mobile applications were less useful because of the small number of smartphone users.