Experts say the number of adults with anxiety and depression has tripled since the pandemic began in 2020, leaving a gap in mental healthcare accessibility for many.
According to Dr. Michael Businelle, 30% of Americans experience anxiety or depression, leaving our current mental health system overstressed and under-resourced. But the Ease app is hoping to change that.
The Ease app is designed to help people cope with and overcome symptoms of anxiety and depression.
"That app has two main components. First, it prompts morning and evening check-ins that take about one to two minutes to complete. These check-ins allow the app to provide tailored messages that are designed to meet the current needs of its users. Second, the app contains videos and messages that can be accessed at any time," said the Co-director of TSET Health Promotions Research Center, Dr. Michael Businelle.
Its goal is to provide instant mental health help during what many says is a mental health crisis in the US.
"We were already in a mental health crisis before COVID Because you know, with 10% of our population, you know, having high levels of anxiety and depression there was just not the infrastructure, the number of psychologists and psychiatrists to meet that demand. Now we've tripled it. Now we have three times as many people that need these types of services," said Businelle, "They're just not available the waitlist are so long now."
The app is currently in its testing period, to make sure it works properly for everyone.
"It was specifically designed to work equally well for minority groups that often don't get a seat at the table when mental health interventions are developed. Thus, the ease study recruited equal numbers of white, black, American Indian, and Latino or Hispanic adults that live in Oklahoma or Texas," said Businelle.
The app does still need about 600 more volunteers to test it, and people can earn up to $410 for participating. You can scan this QR code if you are interested, or click here to take a survey to see if you are eligible to participate in the study.
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