Wysa Announces Mental Health Collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for COVID-19 Anxiety
To help build skills to deal with uncertainty in the current environment and manage anxiety, Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati worked in collaboration with Wysa to create a new “COVID Anxiety” program, available on a special CCHMC-Wysa app. Designed for use by people aged 13 and above, this artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app can help people focus on why they feel anxious about the pandemic and provide recommendations for self-care.
Cleveland, OH, August 11, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Wysa today announced that its award-winning AI behavioral health platform will be used to enhance digital mental health support for COVID-related anxiety at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre (CCHMC), an academic medical center established in 1883 and one of the most distinguished pediatric hospitals in the United States.
“Mental health is turning out to be the silent pandemic, as COVID-19 has brought an incredible amount of stress and anxiety in its wake. This tsunami of demand will change how healthcare systems think about mental health services, and the role digital strategies need to play,” said John Pestian, PhD, co-lead of the program and one of the world’s top experts in developing natural language processing and machine learning tools to address mental health concerns.
“Young people are especially affected,” he added. “Isolation, fear about the future, and the prevailing sense of uncertainty all increase feelings of vulnerability. The impact, on our patients and their families as well as the communities we serve, will last for years.”
To help build skills to deal with uncertainty in the current environment and manage anxiety, Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati worked in collaboration with Wysa to create a new “COVID Anxiety” program, available on a special CCHMC-Wysa app.
Designed for use by people aged 13 and above, this artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app engages in interactive conversations with users, serving as a digital mental health coach. The tool can help people focus on why they feel anxious about the pandemic and provide recommendations for self-care. It also provides emergency contact numbers.
“The program aims to help people deal with their anxiety before it becomes severe,” Pestian continued. “There is an increased demand for mental health services, with a surge of up to 25% in requests for new services since the pandemic began. We believe this program addresses an unmet need for direct, convenient engagement when people are experiencing mild anxiety directly related to the stress of living through this challenging time.”
“These self-help techniques are important because anxiety is common among the population,” says Sorter. “Unfortunately, anxiety often goes undiagnosed, and by definition, undertreated.”
“We also went to great length to protect user privacy,” said Strawn. “This program is an example of how technology can help people access mental health support easily when they need it.”
“Mental health is turning out to be the silent pandemic, as COVID-19 has brought an incredible amount of stress and anxiety in its wake. This tsunami of demand will change how healthcare systems think about mental health services, and the role digital strategies need to play,” said John Pestian, PhD, co-lead of the program and one of the world’s top experts in developing natural language processing and machine learning tools to address mental health concerns.
“Young people are especially affected,” he added. “Isolation, fear about the future, and the prevailing sense of uncertainty all increase feelings of vulnerability. The impact, on our patients and their families as well as the communities we serve, will last for years.”
To help build skills to deal with uncertainty in the current environment and manage anxiety, Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati worked in collaboration with Wysa to create a new “COVID Anxiety” program, available on a special CCHMC-Wysa app.
Designed for use by people aged 13 and above, this artificial intelligence (AI)-powered app engages in interactive conversations with users, serving as a digital mental health coach. The tool can help people focus on why they feel anxious about the pandemic and provide recommendations for self-care. It also provides emergency contact numbers.
“The program aims to help people deal with their anxiety before it becomes severe,” Pestian continued. “There is an increased demand for mental health services, with a surge of up to 25% in requests for new services since the pandemic began. We believe this program addresses an unmet need for direct, convenient engagement when people are experiencing mild anxiety directly related to the stress of living through this challenging time.”
“These self-help techniques are important because anxiety is common among the population,” says Sorter. “Unfortunately, anxiety often goes undiagnosed, and by definition, undertreated.”
“We also went to great length to protect user privacy,” said Strawn. “This program is an example of how technology can help people access mental health support easily when they need it.”
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Wysa
Saloni Agarwal
+919035893363
wysa.io
Saloni Agarwal
+919035893363
wysa.io
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