Mental Health In 2020 | Going Beyond Tele-Therapy and Meditation

My name is Mike Vosters. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type II and ADHD in college, and have spent the decade following studying mental health as both a patient and a businessperson. I’m also the Co-Founder of the Mental Health League.

As COVID-19 upends our way of life, the mental health crisis is only going to accelerate. While the industry has evolved a ton over the past decade, we still have a long way to go.

2010’s Brought Mental Health Into the Digital Age

In the past decade, mental health has come so far, both in terms of cultural stigma reduction and incoming investment dollars.

High-profile celebrities like Kevin Love, Demi Lovato, and may more have come out and shared their stories, helping to normalize the experience for those struggling while educating those unfamiliar with mental health challenges.

More than 10,000 mental health apps have been launched on app stores. Apps like Talkspace brought therapy to the digital age with TV adverts featuring Michael Phelps; while Calm and Headspace made meditation mainstream.

With progress, comes greater investment, which is why VC investment in the mental health, mindfulness and therapy space, has skyrocketed. Just look at the data from Pitchbook from 2009 until 2018…

So problem solved right?

The Majority Of The Mental Health Market Is Still Going Unserved

While these startups have acquired millions of users, and Calm even reached a billion dollar valuation, they’re not enough. The market is still wildly underserved and ripe for disruption.

Because the majority of people aren’t getting treatment…

• Nearly 60% of adults with a mental illness didn’t receive mental health services in the previous year. — American Journal of Psychiatry and U.S. Surgeon General’s Report

And even if they do, they don’t stick with it…

• 35% of people that go to therapy only go one time — Source
• 50% of people that go to therapy don’t go more than 3 times – Source

While the digital advances of the 2010’s undoubtedly chipped away at that number bringing more user-friendly, affordable, and discreet options, I think they’ve hardly made a dent in the market.

Because digitizing existing services doesn’t solve the core pain points for many patients.

Sure, tele-therapy may be more convenient, but it’s still not affordable, it doesn’t solve the massive shortage of mental health professionals, nor does it lower the emotional barrier for those uncomfortable talking to a therapist.

Yes, meditation and other mental health apps can be effective at solving specific problems, but mental health isn’t a one-size fits all solution. Technology cannot replace the human element when it comes to healing, holding people accountable, and charting personalized treatment plans.

These new services are incremental improvements, but mental health is an industry that needs disruption.

Digitization Isn’t The Solution, We Need Mental Health Innovation

To serve the majority, we need to do things differently. We need to bridge the gap between expensive one-on-one treatments and impersonal apps.

We need to create products that are…

• Affordable — Much cheaper than therapy
• Personalized – providing dynamic treatment plans that are tailored to and can grow with the person
• Human – AI can assist, but people need the human touch
• Empowering – Products can’t feel too medical. We need products that make people feel excited to improve themselves, similar to how people feel after they get done with a workout class.

Beyond that, we need to build products and elevate voices for specific segments that are historically less likely to get treatment — specifically males and POC.

If we do that, we’ll unlock the market, but more importantly we’ll unlock human potential. We’ll see suicide rates, domestic violence, and mass shootings decline. Family life will be healthier. Brilliant artists, doctors, and entrepreneurs will emerge. The world will be a more joyous place.

While I know even the greatest mental health innovations can’t solve systemic injustice and other things that harm mental wellbeing, I know they can help reach a large percentage of the 28.6 million people living without treatment in the US – and that is what I’m fighting for.

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Mike Vosters is a mental health advocate and Co-Founder of the Mental Health League – a mental health platform that provides daily training, tracking, and team support for those living with anxiety and mood disorders.