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Singapore (CNN Business) --
Many Asian countries have introduced tougher Covid-19 restrictions than other continents, a reality that has raised concerns about high levels of stress, anxiety and isolation.
Now a number of young entrepreneurs are harnessing technology to provide greater access to mental health care there.
In July, Singapore-based Intellect raised $20 million in its series A funding, the largest amount raised by a mental health startup in Asia.
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Founded in 2019, Intellect runs a mobile app that regularly checks users' moods, offers help sessions and exercises tailored to their needs, and allows them to connect with therapists in real time if needed.
Theodoric Chew, co-founder of Intellect, says technology can help scale access to mental health care for everyone.
Credit: John Mees/CNN
"The traditional form of therapy is face-to-face and one-on-one, and it's hard to scale up," says Theodoric Chew, 26-year-old co-founder of Intellect.
"When technology enters the picture, we can expand access to mental health care to everyone."
The
start-up
already serves more than three million users across the Asia-Pacific region in 15 languages since it launched the service in early 2020.
Mental health as a spectrum
Chew said he was inspired to try to popularize mental health care after battling a panic attack when he was 16.
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"I saw firsthand how therapy and working with professionals helped me get better," he said.
"On the other hand, I saw a lot of people struggling across the region, not from a clinical standpoint, but from not having the right tools or knowledge to access care."
Although Intellect was founded before the pandemic, its popularity grew rapidly as companies became aware of the mental health of their employees by imposing lockdown and quarantine measures related to Covid-19.
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"A lot of people got caught up in a bunch of things: the anxiety of the pandemic, the lockdown and the stay-at-home notices," he said.
"What has fundamentally changed is that mental health is no longer just a pretty thing that companies need to consider, but something that is needed across the board today."
"It benefits companies in a very real way ... because if you don't feel good mentally, you tend to underperform," he said.
Justin Kim, CEO and co-founder of Ami, another digital mental health startup based in Singapore and Jakarta, agreed that there is a need to expand the mental health offering.
"Many companies spend millions of dollars a year and pay for gym memberships. But why don't people invest in their mental health in the same way? It's because there are no resources that are offered to them that are as accessible and affordable," he added.
Justin Kim is the CEO and co-founder of Ami.
His company has received funding from Meta, the owner of Facebook.
Credit: John Mees/CNN
Since the company was founded in January this year, it has raised at least $3 million from various investors, including Meta, the owner of Facebook.
Kim's team has been working on developing an app that allows users to text or call mental health counselors confidentially at any time, without having to make prior appointments.
This will allow users to seek professional help when they need it in the most efficient way.
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Create a happier team
Both Chew and Kim are targeting employers in their business models: Companies can pay a subscription, and workers will have unlimited access to their services, which are kept private from their bosses.
Alistair Carmichael, a partner at McKinsey & Company, says that employers will benefit from better mental health in their workers.
"The repercussions of poor mental health are significant. ... If we focus on the level of employment and organization, those impacts can be things like working unnecessary overtime, absenteeism, loss of productivity, loss of engagement and wear," he said.
The World Health Organization estimates that depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion a year in lost productivity.
And a March WHO report showed that the global prevalence of anxiety and depression rose 25% during the first year of the pandemic.
Chew said Intellect is trying to bridge the gap by proactively safeguarding mental wellness before symptoms worsen.
When employees open the app, the system asks how they're feeling right now.
Mini "rescue sessions" are also offered to users who are having a hard time, while live therapy sessions are also available for those who need them.
The application developed by Intellect asks users how they feel at that moment.
Mini "help sessions" and live therapy sessions are also offered for those going through a tough time.
Credit: John Mees/CNN
The app has numerous learning programs for users to overcome mental obstacles such as self-esteem issues, depression, or procrastination.
A diary feature guides users in writing down what's on their mind, while a "mood timeline" tracks their stress levels.
Since the app's launch, Intellect has served a number of high-end corporate clients, including Dell, Foodpanda and communications conglomerate Singtel, according to Chew, enabling Intellect to grow from a two-person team to 80.
Kim, whose
start-up
has been building a prototype, said employers could also benefit from identifying general trends and concerns among their workforce.
“With employee consent, we share aggregated levels of data. And that gives employers a big picture view of what their employees are really going through, what they need to dig into,” he said.
"But we never identify who said it, because we don't want employees to feel like this isn't a safe space where they can freely address concerns they have."
break social stigma
Karen Lau, a Hong Kong-based clinical psychologist who works with the Mind HK mental health initiative, said addressing mental health in Asia comes with unique challenges.
"In Asian contexts, many cultures tend to uphold values such as honor, pride and keeping up appearances," he said.
"Mental illness is often seen and judged as a sign of weakness and a source of shame for the family."
"I think when it comes to mental health, just like physical health, all problems are easier to prevent than to fix," Kim said.
"If people come out and admit and celebrate the fact that they're getting training or services to invest in their mental health, it's going to normalize the practice."
Chew said that one of his goals is to break social stigma and build a new mental health system for the Asia-Pacific region.
"Mental health has been stigmatized for a long time in Asia, so we have traditionally seen it as a clinical problem, a crisis," he said.
"We consider mental health to be just as important as physical health. You and I deal with things like stress, burnout, sleep problems, and relationship difficulties. That's where a lot of us really should start working." on our mental well-being.
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