‘App seeks to raise mental health awareness, close treatment gap’

Dr Neena Sawant, professor of psychiatry at KEM Hospital, Parel, has unveiled a distinctive app focusing on mental well-being. In an interview with Hindustan Times, she shared insights on the app and its purpose in assisting individuals with mental health assessments

Mumbai: Amidst pressing concerns about mental health in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Neena Sawant, professor of psychiatry at KEM Hospital, Parel, has unveiled a distinctive app focusing on mental well-being. In an interview with Hindustan Times, she shared insights on the app and its purpose in assisting individuals with mental health assessments.

‘App seeks to raise mental health awareness, close treatment gap’

What motivated you to develop an app focusing on mental wellness?

In my thirty years of practice as a psychiatrist, I have hardly seen patients coming to us directly for treatment. They are mostly referred by doctors from other branches of modern medicine or they come to us as a last resort. Creating awareness on mental health is crucial, which we realised all the more during the Covid-19 pandemic. As per the national health survey, the number of people with mental illness has spiked, while the treatment gap is close to 75-80%. It means that 75-80% people with mental illness do not reach a doctor/hospital. My idea was to create mental health awareness in the community to reduce this treatment gap.

Why is it important to get mental illnesses treated on time?

The disability-adjusted life year (measure of the overall disease burden, expressed in number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death) for psychiatric disorders/ ailments is very high and it affects the population the most during the productive years. For example, someone with depression stops living and does not want to do anything. S/he may stop going to work and it can continue for weeks or months if not treated. Many people who have been productive become non-productive because of mental illness. You come out of a physical disability but recognising and treating mental disability doesn’t happen easily due to low awareness, stigma, and lack of acceptance.

How does the app intend to assist individuals in managing their mental health?

The app is aimed at improving mental illness literacy in the community and making every person aware of the state of their mental illness. It has three segments – quiz, self-help zone, and expert help.

The quiz is comprised of a patient health questionnaire based on a standard scale for depression. It is designed as a game which changes every day to ensure the user does not get bored and there is novelty. It helps in analysing the user’s mental health score and lets them know if a psychiatrist’s help is required. In case it is, the app directs users to the nearest government facility, as patients often do no know where to go for consultation.

The self-help zone provides access to coping strategies. It also has telemanas helpline numbers for people who are suicidal and may require immediate help, as my motto is, life saved is life earned.

It took us six months to finalise the design of the app and we are happy that within one week of it being made available on android play store, more than 482 people have downloaded it. As per our analysis, most of them are using the self-help zone.

How do you plan to expand the app’s reach within the community?

The app is in three languages – English, Hindi and Marathi, as many people in the interiors of Maharashtra have smart phones. We plan to work with the state health department and ASHA workers to popularise it so that even people in rural areas and non-metro cities can use the app. We will also use the platform of the Indian Psychiatric Society (west zone) to spread awareness about the app and on mental health in the community.