Over the last 9 months, The Narrative Experiences Online (NEON) study have been recruiting for the NEON, NEON-O and NEON-C trial as they try to investigate whether accessing online real-life mental health recovery stories can benefit people affected by mental health problems. Our recruitment is still open but will be closing soon. If you’d like to sign up to take part, head to www.recoverystories.uk

The NEON trials has successfully recruited over 1,500 participants from all across England, with half of these participants gaining immediate access to over 500 real-life, and diverse, mental health recovery stories with more to come. These stories cover a really broad range of experiences. All stories describe both difficulties and successes that people have had.

Topics covered by the stories include:

  • Strategies and tips that have worked.
  • Just getting through, and what helps people survive in the hardest times.
  • A change of meaning or perspective in people’s lives.
  • Leaving behind approaches that just haven’t worked.

There are stories of recovery both within and outside of NHS services; stories about hope, and others that are more about letting us know that we are not alone. There are text, video, audio, and image-based stories, long and short, from people around the world.

This can be accessed through the NEON Intervention; an online web application which works on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. 

 

Am I Eligible?

You or your clients are eligible for the NEON trials if you meet one of the following criteria:

NEON: Experience of psychosis, or psychosis-like experiences in the last 5 years. Experience of mental health distress in the last 6 months.

NEON-O: Experience of a mental health problem, other than psychosis, in the last 5 years. Experience of mental health distress in the last 6 months.

NEON-C: Experience of being a carer for someone with mental health problems in the last 5 years.

And meet all of the below criteria:

  • Resident in England, and aged 18 or above.
  • Able to access the internet on a personal computer, mobile device or at a community venue, even if you need support from others to do this.
  • Able to understand written and spoken English.
  • Able to provide online informed consent.

What does the study involve?

Participants who meet the inclusion criteria will be individually randomised into either the intervention group (immediate access to the NEON Intervention) or the control group (access to the NEON Intervention after one year).

You will be asked to complete an online consent form, provide an email address and complete a series of questionnaires about yourself and your wellbeing at four different points across a one-year period; at initial sign up, one week, 12 weeks and 52 weeks into the study. Questionnaires at sign-up and 52 weeks will take about 30 minutes to complete, and questionnaires at one week and 12 weeks take 10 minutes at most.

You might be contacted with an invitation to attend an interview by telephone or video-conference, to discuss your experiences of taking part in the trial. You will only be contacted if you have agreed to do so when you sign up. Interviews will last no longer than 90 minutes.

This is an online trial; you will never have to visit the health service or meet any of the researchers. No diagnosis is needed to take part, and NEON will never ask you for access to your health records We welcome participation from people who don’t agree with the diagnostic system. All trial results will be published in a form which are publicly accessible for free.

How can I sign up?                          

Signing up is free and easy to do. Head to recoverystories.uk

Contact Details:

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch at:

Email: neon@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 07973 841 271

The NEON study is funded by the NHS, through the National Institute of Health Research. For more details on our funding and approvals, please visit www.recoverystories.uk

Clinical Trial Registrations:
NEON Trial: ISRCTN11152837
NEON-O Trial: ISRCTN63197153
NEON-C Trial: ISRCTN76355273

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/NEONTrials
Twitter / Instagram: @neontrials
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/neontrials

*The content for this page was paid for and provided by The NEON Study