Depression affected roughly 3 million teens in the US. In 2017, 13% of them were 12-17 year old. That’s up from the 8% in 2010. For the most part people suffering from depression tend to not receive help in real time, but rather when they are close to hitting rock bottom or when they are in complete crisis and it’s too late.
Studies are currently underway at Stanford, UCLA and University of Illinois, Chicago to develop technology to fix this. Facebook has recently updated their algorithm to flag certain words and phrases in real time to alert authorities when they think someone is in danger of harming themselves. In the last year, authorities were able to reach 3,500 people in need.
What if there was another way to take the power back into your own hands and ask for help? A digital panic button on your smartphone? Enter the app ‘notOK’ developed by a teenager who suffers from mental illness. This app allows you to reach out to five of your closest friends and family members at the push of a button to alert them to when you are ’notOk” and feel like harming yourself. With these advances and accessibility to help it’s becoming increasingly easier to help those affected by mental illness through our phones and social media. Causing what is so often seen as a negative into a positive. Read the entire article here.
Source: http://sclhs.in/Jdx4xZ
-Christian David
Creative Content Director