Online and mobile help for mental issues
Smartphone-based psychological training methods to help overcome stress, anxiety and low mood were developed in SalWe´s Mind and Body Programme. Research collaboration between the University of Jyväskylä and VTT led to the establishment of Headsted, a company that commercialises evidence-based psychological intervention programmes.
Each year more than 160 million Europeans suffer from mild depression, social anxiety, lack of sleep, stress or other negative feelings. Fewer than a third of them receive any help in tackling or resolving their problems.
Technology removes obstacles
It is often hard for those who suffer from problems in mental well-being to seek out help in time, although early intervention could stop mild symptoms from developing into more serious problems. Digital services can lower the threshold to seeking help, because they are available at any time and users need not fear being stigmatised.
Finnish researchers in psychology and health technology have jointly developed online and mobile services that can alleviate common psychological problems. In the cross-disciplinary SalWe Mind and Body Programme, researchers from the University of Jyväskylä and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland developed psychological training methods that require only brief moments during the day but very effective in improving mental well-being.
Building on their collaboration and the promising research findings, the researchers decided to establish the Headsted company. Its services combine the latest knowledge about effective psychotherapy methods with top Finnish health technology expertise.
“The research shows that online psychotherapy can have a real impact. When people have access to effective exercises and sufficient information, a small amount of guidance can enable them to make major changes in their lives,” says Headsted’s managing director Toni Vanhala.
Headsted’s programmes are available online to everyone, vastly expanding the availability of evidence-based aid for anxiety, depression, lack of sleep or other challenges in mental well-being, at an early stage when symptoms are still mild.
“Access to our services does not depend on where you live, and you don’t have to struggle on a waiting list for months to get help. When you need a service, it’s there,” Vanhala explains.
Ground-breaking anxiety programme
Headsted’s first online programme helps people who suffer from anxiety or stress in social situations. It is based on established Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and cognitive-behavioural methods. The Finnish Student Healthcare Service took the programme in nationwide use in September 2014 and more than thousand people have already discovered it.
“The feedback we’ve received from users has been extremely positive and over 95 percent say they would recommend it to others. I myself have suffered from social anxiety and the same methods have helped me, so it’s great to be able to pass it on,” says Kirsikka Kaipainen, head of research and development at Headsted in Finland and chief executive officer at Headsted Limited in UK.
The Good Life Compass
Another of the programmes brought to market by Headsted provides coordinates for a good life. The Good Life Compass is also based on ACT methods studied at the University of Jyväskylä.
“This six-week online programme has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and improve mood,” says Raimo Lappalainen, professor of psychology at the University of Jyväskylä and scientific director of Headsted.
In spring 2014 the company took part in a competition for innovations arranged by EIT ICT Labs, a knowledge and innovation community set up at the initiative of the European Union. Headsted’s concepts were among the top eight innovative international business ideas.
Headsted began its own international expansion in autumn 2014, when it established operations in the United Kingdom. Negotiations with local organisations have proceeded well and an English-language version of the Social Anxiety Programme is due to be available in the UK in spring 2015.
Toni Vanhala says that the SalWe programme allowed to deepen and strengthen the existing collaboration on joint research projects between the University of Jyväskylä and VTT. SalWe’s emphasis on commercial applications also gave the researchers a fresh insight into business opportunities.
More information
Kirsikka Kaipainen
Chief Executive Officer
Headsted Limited
kirsikka@headsted.co.uk
tel. +358 50 323 3212
Headsted Finland: http://headsted.fi
Headsted UK: http://headsted.co.uk
References
Lappalainen P, Granlund A, Siltanen S, Ahonen S, Vitikainen M, Tolvanen A, Lappalainen R (2014). ACT Internet-based vs face-to-face? A randomized controlled trial of two ways to deliver Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depressive symptoms: An 18-month follow-up. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 61 (October), pp.43–54. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2014.07.006
Ahtinen A, Mattila E, Välkkynen P, Kaipainen K, Vanhala T, Ermes M, Sairanen E, Myllymäki T, Lappalainen R (2013). Mobile mental wellness training for stress management: Feasibility and design implications based on a one-month field study. JMIR mHealth uHealth 2013 1(2), e11. doi:10.2196/mhealth.2596
