New app to boost mood of mental health patients
11 Jun 2012
A new phone app called Buddy is being used by mental health service providers to help patient wellbeing
Via text, patients use the app to keep a daily diary of what they are doing and how they’re feeling. The aim is to help them spot and reinforce positive behaviours.
The app is being used in several London boroughs and also in the north-west of England, for patients with depression and anxiety disorders, as part of services for early intervention in psychosis, and for military veterans with mental health needs.
Buddy allows the user and therapist to work together to set goals and agree timely SMS reminders to prompt the user.
The scheme is supported by the NHS London Regional Innovation Fund and the innovation charity Nesta, and was developed by design company Sidekick Studios in association with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust – the largest provider of mental health services in Britain.
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The answer is that it doesn’t cost less ..if you don’t codnsier what the employer is paying. That’s why so many people think COBRA is expensive. COBRA isn’t expensive, it’s just that when you continue your group plan under COBRA it’s the same plan, at the same cost (plus maybe 2% for admin), but it seems expensive because your employer is no longer contributing.Individual plans ARE CHEAPER than group because you can be turned down. In group plans nobody can be turned down, so the cost to cover all the health problems escalates.The biggest mistake people make is assuming that their work coverage is more competitive without shopping. It’s not uncommon, especially for young, health people, to be able to get cheaper plans on their own even when the employer is picking up half the cost.Finally, most small companies will just have their employees buy individual plans because it’s a fraction of the cost .though either way it’s always nicer when someone else is picking up the tab.