Sentio Solutions Is On A Mission To Modernize Mental Health Care
Mental health care providers and insurance companies are facing a crisis as the world grapples with rapidly rising rates of mental illness. An estimated 450 million people suffer with a mental health disorder worldwide. In the US alone, this costs $460 billion to manage! But while most of the medical field base their diagnoses on objective data, therapy is still in the dark ages of pen and notepad, the dreaded patient questionnaire, and a brief and subjective interaction between practitioner and patient.
Augmented Mental Health is a new industry category being championed by visionary CEOs like George Eleftheriou. We first met George, Haris, and the team at Sentio Solutions in 2015 when they joined the Make in LA program. The team had a belief that they can accurately detect emotions from over 200 biomarkers using 6 sensors, and doing so could have a life changing impact on the wellbeing of people. At that time, the quantified self movement was starting to flourish. AI and ML for prediction were rising industries. Consumers were getting comfortable with monitoring thanks to Fitbit and tech enabled anxiety relieving solutions such as Headspace.
That is why Sentio felt like the time is right to launch their program for Augmented Mental Health that uses a combination of evidence-based behavioral techniques (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Positive psychology) and Feel (the world’s first emotion sensor and mental health advisor) to help people monitor and manage their emotional wellbeing to develop better coping skills towards greater mental health. After three years of testing and developing with researchers in Psychiatry and Psychology, the team has developed a solution to the growing mental health crisis that blends technology seamlessly into existing business practices.
From the vantage point of MiLA Capital, we see enterprises moving quickly to augment their employees to make them safer and more effective. Therapists and businesses alike are beginning to realize that implementing new technologies with existing practices creates better patient outcomes.
And the use cases are numerous. For example, after a crisis, a large population at a school or business can be triaged to identify high risk patients. Or when a patient’s emotional data is tracked on a 24/7 basis to augment journaling and in-patient data and provide deeper insights into causes of depression and happiness. Or when a therapist can receive an alert and provide real-time interventions. Or when we as a community can improve access to mental health support for those who may not be able to afford it or ask another person for help.
The management and treatment of mental health disorders are in the early days of innovation. George and Haris are the type of leaders that any investor would be lucky to have. In the past three years, we have seen exceptional kindness and generosity, intellectual curiosity and perseverance as they bring this technology from research to application. They are driven and enthusiastic about augmented mental health.
As the mental health epidemic spreads, we feel confident that technologies that allow more control and measurement can help alleviate symptoms and have a lasting impact on civilization. We are proud of Sentio’s efforts to build a company that is leading the charge. If you are excited by what Sentio is doing, please do at least one of the following:
- Subscribe to Sentio’s Medium updates
- Follow Sentio on Twitter
- Reach out to the team if you know an insurance company or healthcare provider who can benefit from an Augmented Mental Health solution
#AugmentedMentalHealth
