Launched on the occasion of World Health Day, the BAE application, designed by psychiatrists, researchers and adolescents themselves, aims to help 12-17 year olds better understand their emotions and ask for help. A promising tool, but which is part of broader, essential support.
A silent emergency: the mental health of young people under pressure
Since the pandemic, warning signs have multiplied. Anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts: for many adolescents, unhappiness has taken hold for a long time. At the FondaMental Foundation, the teams are observing this deterioration with concern.
This observation is shared by professionals: the psychological suffering of young people still too often remains invisible, hidden, difficult to express. And when words are lacking, the risk is to remain alone in the face of intrusive thoughts.
It is in this context that the BAE application was born — for
Before Anyone Else. A name that already says the essential: intervene before the crisis becomes irreversible.
Developed with the Montpellier University Hospital, INSERM and several hospital partners, this free application is aimed directly at adolescents facing suicidal thoughts. Not to replace medical monitoring, but to offer a first point of support, accessible at any time.
- Download BAE on IOS
- Download BAE on Android
A tool designed with young people, to recreate links
What sets BAE apart is first and foremost its design. Far from being a tool designed “for” young people without them, the application was developed in collaboration with adolescents who have themselves gone through periods of crisis.
The objective: to offer a space that suits them, where they can monitor their emotional state, identify their warning signals and above all, build a personalized action plan.
At the heart of the system, a simple but essential idea: not to be alone. The application is based on a “triad” – adolescent, parent, healthcare professional – allowing secure sharing of information, depending on what the young person chooses to reveal.
Professor Philippe Courtet, professor of psychiatry at the University of Montpellier and researcher at the Foundation Fundamental, sums up the spirit:
“With BAE, we want to remind every young person that they are never alone in the face of their difficulties. The application was designed with them, to give them simple and immediate guidelines, help them mobilize their loved ones and offer them concrete support, on a daily basis as well as in moments of crisis..
Concretely, adolescents can record their emotions, write down their plans, identify what soothes them – music, a place, a memory. In case of distress, a button allows you to quickly contact a loved one or emergency services, such as 3114. So many features that aim to recreate connections where isolation sets in.
Between innovation and vigilance: one answer among others
The arrival of this type of digital tool demonstrates an evolution in mental health responses. More accessible, more immediate, sometimes more adapted to the uses of young people. But the designers point out: BAE does not in any way replace medical or psychological monitoring. It is complementary, like a relay, a support in the interstices of everyday life.
Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France Region, underlines this dimension: “The mental health of young people is a major issue for our society. With BAE, the Île-de-France Region supports a concrete, innovative and accessible solution, which makes it possible to support adolescents in moments of fragility and to strengthen the bond with their loved ones and health professionals. Faithful to its commitment to the well-being of young Ile-de-France residents, the Region is working to bring out useful tools, built with experts and adapted to the needs of the field.”.
Same caution on the side of researchers. For Marion Leboyer, General Director of the Foundation Fundamental :
“The launch of BAE fully illustrates our commitment, alongside the Île-de-France Region, to offer concrete and innovative solutions to respond to the challenges of young people’s mental health.”.
Still, the issue goes far beyond the tool. It questions our collective capacity to listen, identify, support.
Give space for speech again, prevent the irreparable
In a teenager’s pocket, one app doesn’t solve everything. But it can, sometimes, make the difference between silence and a first word. Between isolation and a call. By providing simple benchmarks and facilitating access to help, BAE is part of a broader approach: that of prevention, which is still too often behind the emergency.
Because behind each data, each innovation, there are fragile trajectories. Young people looking for support to get through moments of intense doubt. And perhaps, in these suspended moments, the possibility of a simple gesture – opening an application, writing a few words, pressing a button – can become a first step towards the other. Towards care. Towards life.