Big Health’s New Daylight™ App Combats Worry and Anxiety with Science, Animation and
the Power of Voice

SAN FRANCISCO, February 6, 2019 – Digital therapeutics company Big Health today announced the launch of Daylight™ a scientifically rigorous yet approachable mobile app for reducing feelings of worry and anxiety.

Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the United States, affecting more than 40 million Americans (18 percent of the adult population) every year. Worry and anxiety can significantly interfere with people’s day-to-day functioning and overall quality of life.

Daylight uses scientifically proven techniques based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to address feelings of worry and anxiety wherever and whenever the need arises. Big Health collaborated with the world’s leading experts from Boston University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Oxford and University of Texas, Austin to teach individuals how to respond to negative thoughts, use their body to reduce stress and tension and face their fears directly. Users can come back at any time to check-in, learn new techniques and measure their progress.

Developed by leading podcast producers, filmmakers, designers and animators, including veterans of Pixar and NPR’s Radiolab, the Daylight app combines animation with the intimacy of the human voice to provide a fully immersive visual and auditory experience that is personalized, lighthearted and upbeat.

“With anxiety and other mental health issues causing distress to millions and costing trillions worldwide, widespread access to effective solutions has never been more critical,” said Peter Hames, CEO and co-founder of Big Health. “By combining the expertise of world-leading scientists, animators and storytellers we’ve been able to develop digital therapeutics that respond to the human, emotional reality of these problems. We are excited about the potential for Daylight to help many more people back to good mental health.”

Daylight is Big Health’s second digital CBT-based program following the success of its first product, Sleepio™, a digital sleep improvement program accessible to more than 12 million people worldwide through employers and payers including Boston Medical Center, Comcast, the Hartford and the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS).

“As an organization, we are committed to providing comprehensive wellness and mental health resources. We’ve found Big Health’s first program, Sleepio, to be a fun and effective way to help our employees improve their sleep,” said Lisa Kelly-Croswell, SVP and chief human resources officer at Boston Medical Center. “We’re now excited to offer Daylight and further expand options for our employees to access mental health resources in an innovative and accessible format.”

Big Health’s digital delivery model addresses the overarching problem facing mental health care: growing demand and a lack of resources to help everyone who needs it. “Most people who need help with worry and anxiety don’t get it” Hames said. “Daylight is a scalable solution that aims to address that.”

According to recent studies, CBT has shown to be effective in nearly 50 percent of individuals across all types of anxiety. More specifically, studies show digitally delivered CBT can lead to large improvements in anxiety, worry, distress, disability and quality of life.

About Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the United States. An estimated 40 million adults in the U.S. (18 percent) experience an anxiety disorder each year. Individuals with an anxiety disorder are significantly more likely to use more healthcare services, require hospitalization or visit the emergency room leading to 93 percent higher healthcare costs on average. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated cost of depression and anxiety to the global economy is $1 trillion per year. There are many types of anxiety disorders, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and various phobias. However, all anxiety disorders have one thing in common: persistent, excessive fear or worry that is disproportionate to the situation.

About Daylight™

Designed by leading experts in anxiety and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Daylight helps people make behavioral changes that promote improvements in wellbeing and daily functioning as well as reductions in feelings of worry and anxiety. More specifically, Daylight teaches practical techniques scientifically proven to work. The Daylight app was built by leading podcast producers, filmmakers, designers and animators to provide a fully immersive visual and auditory experience that is lighthearted and upbeat. Using the intimacy of a real human voice to connect with users, Daylight builds a personalized program based on users’ specific needs and reacts to how they are feeling in the moment to provide the help they are most likely to benefit from. Daylight has embedded scientific expertise from the start, working closely with leading anxiety and CBT experts from Boston University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Oxford and University of Texas, Austin to adapt the most effective techniques for addressing worry and anxiety for a digital format. Individuals can access Daylight through their employer or health plan, if covered, or gain free access by participating in research trials. Visit www.trydaylight.com to check if you’re covered or eligible for research.

About Big Health

Big Health’s purpose is to help millions back to good mental health, which it does by creating fully automated and highly personalized behavioral programs for mental health. Designed by leading experts in sleep, anxiety and CBT, Big Health’s solutions feature cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. Big Health’s lead products are Sleepio™ for helping individuals address poor sleep; and Daylight™ for helping individuals address worry and anxiety. With offices in London and San Francisco, Big Health’s products are used by large multinational employers and major health plans to help improve sleep and mental health. To date, more than 12 million people across 60+ countries have access to Sleepio or Daylight. For more information, visit us at www.bighealth.com.

References

1. Loering et. al. Response rates for CBT for anxiety disorders: Need for standardized criteria. Clinical Psychology Review. 2015

2. Richards et al. The efficacy of internet-delivered treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Internet Interventions. 2015