Use social media for support, awareness, and removing barriers

With a good therapeutic relationship and a mobile or online platform, most aspects of mental health treatment are still possible, says Deepak Singh, Co-founder, and CEO, Tatsam: Mental health & holistic wellbeing.

Do you think mental health is one of the most neglected issues in the world today? What is the Indian situation and how have things changed thanks to the pandemic lockdown?

The problem is big but the key thing we want to highlight is that we can improve it. When we consider the statistics, it doesn't paint a positive picture — the WHO estimated in 2019 that 970 million people globally (or 1 in 8) suffer from a mental disorder — with anxiety and depression being the most prevalent. It is one of the leading causes of disability in adults, 20% of children and adolescents are diagnosed with mental health disorders, and suicide is India's second leading cause of death for 15-29-year-olds. Post Covid-19 these figures have increased by at least 20%.

It is important to remember that mental health issues affect more than just a person; they affect their family, their occupation, their community, the economy, and society as a whole as well. In general, the younger you are when developing a mental health condition, the higher the chance of it being a life-long condition. Similarly, children whose parents suffer from mental illnesses have a higher chance of developing one themselves. This creates a cycle of mental health problems and it can have a widespread impact.

We don't exactly know the potential impact of Covid-19 yet — is speculative from a social, economic, individual, and public mental health perspective. Most research and policymakers predict “sleeper effects” in children and the Indian youth — meaning people may develop more mental health challenges in the future. What we do know is that Covid-19-related stress, fear, and loneliness; relapse of pre-existing mental illness: due to reduced access and disruption to therapeutic resources and therapy, less social support combined with the psychological effects of misinformation, loss of peer support because of closure of schools and offices, medical comorbidities, uncertainties, stigma, and prolonged isolation have all aggravated and increased mental health challenges and mental illness globally.

Tatsam's research post-Covid-19 found that India has one of the highest treatment gaps in the world with almost 90% of people not receiving adequate care or living with an undiagnosed condition. There is also a huge sub-clinical population in India who don't meet the diagnostic criteria for an illness but still struggle on a daily basis with their mental health. This number is increasing exponentially. Because mental health disorders are still highly stigmatised both within our society and even within our healthcare system, discrimination, stigma, and human rights violations are frequently experienced by people with mental health conditions. This leads to feelings of shame, guilt, and denial by both individuals and the families of people with mental health concerns, affecting their willingness to seek help and often preventing them from seeking treatment.

The silver lining is that many mental health conditions can be effectively treated at relatively low costs, especially when we leverage technology. Increasing awareness, reducing stigma, and most importantly improving access to care and making it easier for people by reducing misconceptions around mental treatment interventions will create a lot of change. It's important that people understand that you can work on mental health and you can build positive habits around your mental health. Just like you can improve your physical health.

What do you think of digital mental health? Usually, we see it negatively thanks to social media. Can the digital world actually be used to make mental health better?

Globally there has been an extensive amount of research conducted post-Covid to understand how technology can be leveraged to reduce the treatment gaps we are currently experiencing. Social media can have a negative impact on mental health, but it can also be used to increase support, improve awareness and remove barriers to help-seeking.

At Tatsam we prioritize safeguarding our users and we've done a considerable amount of research in 2021 and 2022 on which interventions are most successful and effective on a digital platform. In addition, we've incorporated guidelines defined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence UK (NICE), Public Health England, and the NHS, as well as 2022 the American Psychological Association's evidence standards framework for digital health and care technologies in all our pathways.

For example, a unique aspect of our product and the app pathways is that we offer both unguided and therapist guided intervention modules, we've also integrated mobile application interventions with digitally enabled psychological therapy that is provided online with the support of a therapist. With a good therapeutic relationship and a mobile or online platform, most aspects of treatment are still possible. It is relatively easy for a clinician to overcome many of the challenges involved with this type of delivery when an initial online meeting has already been established and developed a collaborative relationship. Regardless of whether users use a guided or a guided mobile app-based solution, Tatsam offers a free initial consultation with a therapist and encourages users to have regular online checkups to address the potential limitations of delivering mental health treatment remotely. As a result, the evidence-based systems in Tatsam's product can maintain a high therapeutic alliance and result in equally positive outcomes when compared with traditional psychological treatment.

Can you reveal a bit about the Tatsam app and how it is helping working professionals?

Mental health challenges are now the norm among employees across all organisational levels. A total of 76% of people reported at least one symptom of a mental health problem in our research in 2021. Despite the many macro stressors post-Covid-19, that supports the notion that most of us experience mental health challenges regularly.

There are 3 components of the solution which include the app: the first is a simple, easy-to-use mobile application with pathways to support individual needs that offers a free guided session with a therapist; the second is a therapist and community-led support groups and group sessions, and the third is working individually with a therapist online on personal concerns. The interventions are all integrated and can be used individually or in combination.

We want people to understand that anyone can benefit from therapy and support their mental health with self-care. It's important for people to know that they can seek therapy for a range of reasons — managing and balancing the demands of parenting, work, and family responsibilities, coping with medical illness, improving relationship skills, or managing other stressors that can affect all of us.

On the mobile application, we offer seven pathways that combine self-guided and semi-guided (therapist-led) pathways to address the varied and personal needs of people (based on Tatsam's research). Alongside "Peak Potential" and "stress," aimed at encouraging mental health habits and reducing burnout risks, there are also pathways for the more debilitating issues of depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.

What has been the feedback and experience of Tatsam in the last few months since the launch?

We were taken aback by the overwhelming and positive responses we've had to the platform on social media. It's really underlined for us how much people are looking for solutions for mental health that are high-quality, non-judgemental, and empathetic. Our experiences over the last few months also highlighted the number of people who need but cannot afford quality treatment. We've received emails and messages from young people who want help but are afraid of judgment, and stigma and who have also had negative experiences with mental health professionals in the past.

It has really reaffirmed our mission to make a difference. This led us to create a financial aid programme to help people with diagnosed and/or life course conditions such as Major Depressive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Personality Disorders and ADHD receive treatment from our trained practitioners at a significantly reduced cost.

Can you explain what Tatsam Business Solutions is and how it works?

For businesses, in addition to the employee-facing app described above, we provide statistical wellness audits which can help them understand where they stand in terms of indices like social wellbeing index, happiness index, overall psychological capital, etc. We also help them design mental wellbeing strategy maps and calendars and conduct engaging workshops on mental health-related topics.

Our business solutions basically help organisations improve employee wellbeing and build a more productive, happier, and resilient workforce. Individuals can enhance their mental and physical well-being and fuel both their professional and personal growth via Tatsam's mobile tools, resources, and community support programs. Employees can learn the skills, behaviors, and mindsets needed to perform at their peak, both professionally and personally, using app solutions and support.

By Sunil Rajguru

sunilr@cybermedia.co.in