Making mental health care a global priority

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and this year, the World Federation for Mental Health is challenging us to take a hard look at the current state of mental health globally, and the opportunities available to improve efforts around making mental health care accessible for all.

The state of mental health care

In recent years, since the onset of COVID-19, the world has seen an uptick in mental health conditions such as anxiety and insomnia. In the United States alone, nearly 20% of adults showed symptoms of anxiety in the past year, while 36.7% of adults have suffered from symptoms of insomnia. Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. The Preventive Services Task Force proposed a recommendation that all adults between the ages of 18 and 65 get screened for anxiety – even if they show no symptoms.

While it’s a step in the right direction to recognize the prevalence of mental health conditions is increasing globally, there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to addressing the magnitude and implications of these conditions throughout the world, and how to make lasting treatments accessible for all.

Making impactful mental health care a priority

Within organizations specifically, many employers today are rethinking their benefits offerings and putting an emphasis on mental health care options for employees. This is a great first step, however, it’s important to ensure these benefits are making a real impact within your workplace. Offering mental health benefits that aren’t providing lasting results could hinder meeting your organizational goals in the long term and negatively impact employee mental health.

Mental health should be approached in the same way as physical health. When left untreated, each can lead to serious acute episodes that require a higher level of care and pose a risk to the employee’s health. Preventive care in mental health, while still a novel approach, should be top of mind for employers as chronic mental health challenges lead to lower productivity, higher health care costs for those struggling with insomnia or anxiety, and of course, poor health outcomes.

For all of these reasons, it’s crucial to do your research when selecting mental health benefits to ensure they are up to par and meeting the needs of your workforce.

A scalable solution

Digital solutions offer a new opportunity for those who struggle to access care or choose not to engage with traditional models of care for a variety of socioeconomic or personal reasons. Digital therapeutics are an emerging model of care with a tremendous opportunity to make mental health care scalable and accessible to people around the world. Many digital therapeutics have been shown to be clinically effective at treating mental health conditions, and represent a third treatment option alongside face-to-face therapy and medication. Sleepio and Daylight by Big Health are just that – effective digital treatments for insomnia and anxiety, respectively, two of the most common mental health conditions affecting people today.

At Big Health, it’s our mission to help millions back to good mental health. By reaching 10 million lives thus far across the globe, with over 70 peer-reviewed publications and more than 13 randomized clinical trials, we’re steadfast in our goal to make mental health care equitable and accessible.

If you’re ready to make mental health a priority in your organization, take the first step to gauge whether or not your current benefits offerings are meeting the needs of your employees with our interactive tool.

Sleepio and Daylight are available as an adjunct to usual medical care for insomnia disorder or generalized anxiety disorder, respectively, for adults ages 18 and older, without FDA review under their COVID-19 policy. Users are directed to not make any changes to their prescribed medication or other type of medical treatment without seeking professional medical advice.

In accordance with FDA’s current Enforcement Policy for Digital Health Devices for Treating Psychiatric Disorders During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency, for patients aged 18 years and older, who are followed by and diagnosed with insomnia disorder by a medical provider, Sleepio can be made available as an adjunct to their usual medical care for insomnia disorder. Sleepio does not replace the care of a medical provider or the patient’s medication. Sleepio has not been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for these indications. Users are directed to not make any changes to their prescribed medication or other type of medical treatment without seeking professional medical advice.

DOC-1941 Effective 10/2022