Hello, Joy
How to become the best version of yourself with the help of a mental health chatbot.
It’s 2016 and our norms, abilities, and curiosities are leaps and bounds ahead of where we ever could have even imagined 100 years ago. Thanks to technology, we can constantly measure and track almost every aspect of our life —including our health. Every hour, minute and second of each day, we are tracking our weight, our steps, our heartbeat, and more. Always plugged in, always tracking, and always measuring. There are countless products, movements and billion dollar companies that allow you to track you daily steps, record your caloric intake per meal, measure how well you slept the night before, and suggest tips to better your physical condition. Yet mental health, a key part of the equation, is nowhere to be found.
You likely know someone around you who is struggling with their mental health. And if you think you don’t, you’re mistaken.
People all around us are struggling with their mental health every single day. One in four adults−over 60 million Americans−experience mental illness in a given year. Nearly one in five American adults live with anxiety disorders. Almost 7 percent live with depression. 2.6 percent with bipolar disorder. And that’s not even counting children or those who live outside of the US.
You likely know someone around you who is struggling with their mental health. And if you think you don’t, you’re mistaken. Millions of our peers are keeping their mental health issues a secret — bottled up and held captive to their own mind. They’re forced to face their illness alone because the stigma around mental health is so strong. Unfortunately, diseases like anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses are considered taboo by society.
But why? We all have mental health — it isn’t a negative thing to have, it’s simply a thing that everyone has, just like everyone has ‘regular’ health. We also all have mental health problems. As with our physical health, there’s not a binary state of 100% healthy or 100% unhealthy for your mind. It’s a continuum — containing everything from illness to wellness and all that lies in between.
You Cannot Manage What You Do Not Measure
Over the past 15 years, we have made incredible progress as a society. We have seen inventions and discoveries such as The Human Genome Project, the iPhone, Robotic Surgeons and many many more. But over these same 15 years, the suicide rate has increased by 24 percent. 24%! Even obesity rates, which many perceive as a top health concern (“Those fat Americans!”), have remained relatively stable since 2000.
There are many reasons for the increase and they’re not simple. But for starters, we are probably not paying enough attention to our own mental health, nor talking enough with each other about our collective mental health. As the saying goes, you cannot manage what you do not measure. Our society has fully accepted this idea when it comes to our physical health. Yearly physical, monthly checkups at the doctor, fitness trackers, and more — tracking our physical health is just something we now do. Tracking our mental health, however, is a forgotten concept.
Make no mistake, human connection is crucial, particularly for our mental health. But today, we aren’t very open about our mental health with others, regardless of the situation.
Part of the reason tracking mental health is not widespread is because of the stigma associated with it. It’s not weird when someone says they are going to the doctor for a routine checkup. But going to see their psychiatrist? The reaction tends to be very different. It’s also just not as easy to track mental health right now. There are clunky apps, basic mood trackers, and other stand-in solutions. But sometimes what you really need is someone to talk to…
Hello, Joy
Tracking your mental health should be easy and painless. Becoming the best version of yourself should feel obtainable. That’s why I’m building Joy. Joy checks in with you once a day and asks how you’re doing and what you did today. Based on your response, Joy can interpret your emotions and recognize if it was a great day, a shitty day, or somewhere in between. Feeling anxious? Joy will recognize this and offer you some tips on how to reduce your anxiety.
Not only can Joy help with your day to day, she will also pick up on patterns over time. Right now, she will generate a weekly report of your mood based on what you’ve told her. Soon, she’ll be able to offer longer term remedies and therapies based on smarter analysis over the long term.
Make no mistake, human connection is crucial, particularly for our mental health. But today, we aren’t very open about our mental health with others, regardless of the situation. Joy can help remove the stigma associated with mental wellness, get us talking about our own mental health and in due time, get more of us talking to each other and trained professionals about our mental health.
Joy is always there, ready to listen whenever you need someone to talk to. It’s a small step, but if Joy can put a smile on your face in the midst of a shitty day, it’s a step in the right direction.
Start talking to Joy today: m.me/hellojoyai
Join the conversation on Product: Hunt https://www.producthunt.com/tech/joy-2
Thanks to all who helped edit this post. You know who you are.
