Apps Just A Click Away For Daily Help In Mental Illness

Apps Just A Click Away For Daily Help In Mental Illness

Developed By AIIMS & IIIT-D, Public Launch Likely In January

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:20.09.2021

A person suffering from mental illness in India might find treatment, but it would be near impossible to find guidance for managing functional problems in daily life. Disha and Saksham, two apps developed by the psychiatry division of AIIMS in collaboration with Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, aim to change this. While Disha is focused on helping newly diagnosed patients of schizophrenia and other severe psychotic disorders, Saksham is meant to help those suffering from chronic illness.

The apps have been used successfully by 25 patients and, the researchers reported, they plan to roll them out for the public by January 2022. “The computer engineers involved in the project are currently working to ensure the safety of patient data,” said Dr Mamta Sood, professor of psychiatry at AIIMS, who is also one of the project developers.

These apps will be available in English and Hindi. Once individuals download the app and fill in the details about their illness, it will display information about the nature and course of the disease and the treatment and management of its side-effects. The app will also have the option to update details about compliance on medication and daily self-care tasks, Sood added.

In the movie A Beautiful Mind, actor Russel Crowe plays the role of mathematician John Nash who suffered from schizophrenia and had delusions and hallucinations. Constant engagement with doctors, support from family members and at the place of work help the mathematician recover considerably. While this is ideal, the AIIMS doctor revealed there weren’t enough mental health professionals in India, resulting in a treatment gap.

According to the World Mental Health Atlas Report, 2017, there are only 0.29 psychiatrists per 100,000 population in India. Child psychiatrists are rarer. The availability of psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and other paid mental health workers that form the backbone of mental healthcare in western countries is also scarce, according to experts.

The patients and their caregivers still trawl the internet for information on disease management. But online sources are often not reliable, caution researchers. Also, caregivers too need encouragement. The mobile apps developed by AIIMS and IIIT Delhi experts will have features to motivate them, one example of this being pop-up messages of encouragement to caregivers and questions seeking to know their well-being.

The apps provide an opportunity to consider the physical health of a patient, an aspect that is often neglected. “The apps have options to feed data on the weight, blood pressure and other key parameters in addition to suggestions such as eating healthy and leading an active life,” disclosed Sood.