MINDNATION, a Singapore-based well-being company, launched a mental healthcare app that provides access to 24/7 teletherapy services to Filipinos.
One in two Filipinos struggle with mental health, the company said, with the same percentage of workers struggling with some form of mental health issue because of financial concerns, job pressures, and return-to-office anxieties.
“When mental health support is convenient and easily accessible, people are motivated to proactively take care of their mental health and make it a habit,” said MindNation Chief Impact Officer Kana Takahashi, in an Aug. 26 press statement.
The app includes a mood tracker, a quiz that can be used to track emotions and understand one’s state of well-being, and an on-demand learning program that improves coping skills through audiovisual exercises, toolkits, and worksheets.
Telehealth consultations in the app are done through secure virtual calls.
“There are no in-persons calls,” said Cat C. Triviño, chief marketing officer of MindNation, in an e-mail. “We want to make mental healthcare as accessible and as easy as possible without having to travel, face traffic, etc.”
The app’s features were developed under the guidance of a scientific board of advisers led by Chief Wellbeing Officer Eiza B. Fusingan, a registered psychologist.
The MindNation app is free on Google Play and the App Store. Premium subscribers get 24/7 chat access with a wellbeing coach. Until Oct. 31, the P2,490 annual subscription will include three free one-on-one virtual sessions.
Mental health conditions cost the Philippine economy P68.9 billion (US$ 1.37 billion) each year, equivalent to 0.4% of its gross domestic product, according to a mental health investment case for the Philippines launched by the Department of Health and the United Nations in Manila in October 2021. — Patricia B. Mirasol