GRAHAM DIGUISEPPI, ELIZABETH ROTH, REBECCA L. COLLINS, NICOLE K. EBERHART
Evaluation of iPrevail
Los Angeles County
An Initiative to Provide a Free
Mental Health App to Los Angeles
County Residents
I
n 2023, an estimated 23 percent of U.S. adults experienced any mental illness (AMI), such as
stress, anxiety, and major depressive disorder in the past year, and 6 percent experienced a seri-
ous mental illness (SMI), defined as “any mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that substan-
tially interfered with or limited one or more major life activities” (Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2024, p.34). In addition, 17 percent of U.S. adults met
past-year criteria for a substance
use disorder (SUD), and estimates
indicate that one-third to one-half
of adults experienced both AMI and
SUD (SAMHSA, 2024).
Despite the fact that one in three
U.S. adults meet criteria for AMI or
SUD, only one in four of those with
SUD, and just more than one in two
of those with AMI, received formal
treatment in the past year through
inpatient, outpatient, prescription
medication, or telehealth services
(SAMHSA, 2024). This treatment
gap is driven by multiple barriers—
including lack of awareness and access
to appropriate treatment—that are
often compounded for low-income,
rural, and underserved communities;
racial and ethnic minority individu-
KEY FINDINGS
■ Five percent of Los Angeles County youth ages 14–25 and
2 percent of adults ages 26 and older have heard of iPrevail and
correctly identified it as a mental health app.
■ From March 2023 through June 2024, there were 9,066 new users
who followed structured app activities and 56,125 users who only
chatted with a peer coach. The number of new users peaked in
March 2023 and then declined throughout 2023–2024.
■ Compared with 2021–2022 data, there was a greater proportion of
Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic Black users, users who primar-
ily spoke Spanish or another non-English language at home, users
with a disability, and veterans.
■ There was no evidence of an increase in Chinese-language users
following the release of a Chinese version of iPrevail.
■ Most users (75 percent) were active in the app for only one day.
■ Most users (77 percent) had moderate or severe mental health
symptoms on health assessments at baseline.
■ There was no evidence of symptom change for those who used
the app for a longer period.
Evaluation Report
