2024-03-08
Innovation as a Countermeasure to Mental Health Issues
The latest report from the Public Health Agency of Sweden reveals an increasing number of children and adults reporting mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. The report also indicates a rise in the use of antidepressant medications across all age groups. This trend is something Natali Suo, founder of the psychological service Meela, witnesses every day.
– We see more and more people turning to Meela for help. For a while, we had a monthly growth rate of 80 percent. Currently, we have connected over 8,000 individuals with the most suitable therapists.
The digital psychological service Meela, founded by Tiffany Boswell and Natali Suo, has proven its ability to respond to the growing demand for psychological assistance.
Amid an increasingly challenging mental health situation in Sweden, where reports of stress, anxiety, and sleep problems are becoming more common across all age groups, Gothenburg-based Meela emerges as a key player in addressing this growing issue. Particularly, teenage girls and young women report high levels of mental health issues, a trend that demands increased access to specialized psychological assistance.
– Meela uses 43 factors to match patients with therapists. It’s like an advanced version of Tinder. Patients can express what they find important in their therapy, and therapists can share their expertise. Meela then matches them. We have a very low dropout rate from treatment, Natali Suo explains.
The national public health survey for 2022 highlighted the issue of mental health in Sweden. Around one-third of adult women, i.e., over 1.3 million, report using medication for their mental health issues. The corresponding figure for men is one in four. Meela’s innovative matching function has successfully connected over 8,000 individuals with qualified therapists since its launch in March, marking a significant advancement in the field of mental health in Sweden.
Meela’s successes stem from their use of advanced technologies to carefully match patients with psychologists based on individual needs and preferences, an approach that has proven effective in reducing therapy dropouts. This represents a significant improvement compared to the national average and signifies an effective strategy for addressing the ongoing mental health crisis.
The company’s ambition to make psychological help more accessible extends beyond traditional target groups, with initiatives to include minorities and neurodivergent individuals.
In a time where mental health issues are increasingly prominent in Sweden, Meela represents a vital part of the solution to an escalating public health crisis. Through innovation and a strong focus on individual needs, they contribute to a more hopeful future for the many struggling with mental health problems.