Clearhead uses tech to tackle mental health

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Picture: Home page of Clearhead

eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

The founder of a new “one-stop-shop online platform for mental health and wellbeing” hopes it will prove the value of innovative technologies to tackle mental health problems.

Chief executive Angela Lim says Clearhead is a digital primary mental health system that provides scalability and cost effectiveness for a sector struggling to meet increasing demand.

Lim will be presenting on the development of Clearhead at the HiNZ 2019 Conference during Digital Health Week NZ 2019 in Hamilton this 18-22 November.

The portal uses an artificial intelligence chatbot to screen users for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It recommends mental health resources, allows users to search for and book professional help and includes a Wellbeing Portal to monitor their progress and goals.

The Clearhead team of four started work from scratch in September 2018 and launched the solution six months later in March 2019. More than 100 people signed up to the platform in the first 24 hours.

Lim, who previously worked as a paediatric doctor at Auckland Hospital, is frustrated that the health system paradigm has not shifted from focusing on illness to wellness.

She says they developed Clearhead to prove the value of an innovative solution that can deliver preventative and proactive mental health care.

Interviews with service users revealed issues of accessibility and fragmentation of care in the current system. Lim says the stigma around mental health means people feel judged if they open up about their issues.

“Research shows that people are more likely to disclose the true extent of their mental health challenge if done on a digital interface, so we built an AI chatbot to mimic a GP consult, but give the user the feeling that they are texting a knowledgeable good friend,” she explains.

Users can choose to print off their screening assessment and take it to their GP. As the platform matures, Lim hopes to directly integrate with GP system providers to allow summaries to be sent electronically.

Demand outstripping supply is another challenge that Lim says can be tackled by using a digital solution because of its scalability.

The AI solution reduces what currently takes three appointments with a GP down to just one, says Lim.

Service users also reported that they did not know where to look for help online or what information to trust.

Clearhead curates online content and points users towards effective mental health resources that are evidence based, including peer support groups and apps that are specific to their issue.

The service also links people with relevant face-to-face services and allows them to book appointments online, which is key as mental health providers can be difficult to find and contact.

“Some do have capacity to see someone, but you can never find them, so by bringing them online it immediately improves the capacity of the health sector,” she says.

The intention is to ultimately integrate a secure telehealth platform to allow more providers to offer their services online, especially to people living in rural regions. The team is also developing a mobile app.

Lim says the initial focus is to prove the value of the platform, then look to sustainable funding sources to ensure it remains free for users.

“We think this is one of the most cost-effective ways primary care can manage their mental health demand,” she explains.

“We’re trying to understand the challenges in our mental health system and how we can use emerging technology to help solve those problems.”

Register here to see speakers such as Angela Lim at Digital Health Week NZ 2019.

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