It is estimated that around 56 million Indians are living with depression. Another 38 million live with an anxiety disorder. India has some of the highest suicide rates in the world. The 2016 National Health Survey found that around 14% of the Indian population is in need of “active” mental health interventions.
However, there are only about 0.75 psychiatrists for every 100,000 people. Stigma around mental health remains high, and the costs of undergoing treatment or therapy prevent many from seeking help.
India may be on the brink of another epidemic. This time, one of mental health. But is it all doom and gloom? Technology-enabled mental health support is on the rise, with apps and platforms like Evolve, Wysa, Heyy, YourDOST, ePsyClinic, Mindhouse, and Trijog all leading the way in bridging the accessibility gap between patients and providers.
YourDOST was one of the pioneers in this space, having created various programs and initiatives over the years, such as a maternity program, a founders program, and even a support program for laid-off employees. “Indian society is slowly opening up to issues like daily stress, anxiety and other potential threats to a person’s overall well-being. As the first platform in the holistic emotional wellness space, we’ve come a long way from stigmas and myths to adopting healthier discussions, and that’s a huge win,” says Richa Singh, co-founder.
One of the few mental health apps that also focuses on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, Evolve was founded by Anshul Kamath in 2019. Before that, Kamath facilitated mental wellness workshops across India to gain first-hand experience. in creating a safe environment for people to be vulnerable.
“When I looked at existing mental health apps, I felt that much more could be done with creating effective virtual products, combining many of the principles that I had learned and observed in an offline environment,” explains Anshul.
“Most other apps tend to have a very generic approach to dealing with stress or anxiety. We are one of the few mental health apps with a problem-first approach. For example, if someone is anxious about body image issues instead of going through a break, we have contextualized content and sessions that focus on the real issue. This allows for a much more effective and close experience.”
Evolve has over 2,50,000 users worldwide and recently received Rs 3 crore in funding from Fund Strategic Holdings. However, apps weren’t around long when Prachi Vaish, a psychotherapist, started online therapy in 2009 with India’s first psychological service portal called HopeNetwork. Now a 17+ year veteran and co-founder of the Emotional Wellness Initiatives, Prachi believes that online therapy can be just as successful as in-person therapy. And what about the applications?
“Chatbots and ‘do your own work’ apps are great as complementary aids to the healing process, but they can’t replace the guidance and clinical judgment/insight of a real professional,” he says. It’s not that Prachi is averse to technology, as the Emotional Wellness Initiatives also use technology to help the mental health process. “We have seamlessly woven technology to make our customer experience easier without compromising the human experience.” The platform was started in 2020 with a small collective of qualified and selected therapists. This human experience is what Ankit Malhotra, the founder of Heyy, focuses on.
“Heyy it was the result of my own journey in 2019. My career was in a tailspin and I had just moved to Singapore. The pressure of settling with my family in a new place, added to job instability, hit me hard. I don’t think any personal care app would have helped me back then. I got a coach and really saw the power of conversations and empathetic listening that helped me manage and grow from the experience. It was this experience that I channeled into building the platform from day 1,” explains Ankit.
Heyy has what it calls in-app helpers that create safe, anonymous spaces for users and self-help mini-guides to provide safe, credible, research-based content.
Heyy has already surpassed 50,000 app downloads since its launch in 2020, and Ankit says that 40% of its users come from Tier 2 cities, an often underserved segment. This growth is why Richa Singh of YourDOST believes technology will continue to play a role in mental health.
“Technology is sure to continue to improve accessibility and play an important role in facilitating such human-led counseling experiences or community spaces,” he says. This tech-driven approach explains why Indian mental health and wellness startups received the highest investment of a decade last year. As Ankit says, “If you create the right platform, people who need help will break down the stigma and barriers that exist and come forward for help.”
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