Pear Therapeutics raises $175M and goes public via SPAC deal raising the profile of prescription digital therapeutics
Digital health firm Pear goes public, raising $175 million (pharmaforum):
Pear will make its debut on the exchange today after combining with Thimble Point – a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) – in a deal that sidestepped the conventional initial public offering (IPO) route and has propelled its valuation to around $1.6 billion … Pear specialises in prescription digital therapeutics (DTx) based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques that can delivered remotely to [patients via a digital device. It has three apps approved by the FDA, including reSET and reSET‑O for people living with substa...
Source: SharpBrains - December 8, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Uncategorized CBT cognitive behavioural therapy DTx Pear Therapeutics prescription digital therapeutics reSET-O Somryst SPAC Thimble Point Source Type: blogs
Making first contact: What to do with all that information! part 2
Last week I described some of the reasons for using a case formulation approach when working through initial assessment information, and today I’m going to describe one approach for organising a formulation. This is the “4 P” formulation, and it’s one that’s often used in mental health (Bolton, 2014).
In the 4 P model, there are four questions to ask yourself:
Preconditions – Why is this person vulnerable to this problem?Precipitating factors – Why now? This can mean “why is this person having symptoms now?” or “why is this person presenting to this person ...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - November 28, 2021 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Assessment Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Pain conditions Professional topics Research Science in practice biopsychosocial case formulation Occupational therapy pain management Therapeutic approaches Source Type: blogs
Developments In Psychology ’s Covid Research
By Emma L. Barratt
Early in the pandemic, there was a rapid shift in the pace of research. With the situation evolving quickly, lockdowns coming into effect, and the massive loss of life that followed, researchers across academia were racing against the clock to produce papers.
This haste was unusual for most scientists, more used to detailed scrutiny, further investigations, and collaboration. As a result, some were concerned about the rigour of papers that would ultimately see the light of day. Early on, psychologist Vaughan Bell tweeted with regards to Covid research, “If it’s urgent, the urgency is to ...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - November 8, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Coronavirus Feature Source Type: blogs
Trend: Harnessing digital tech to improve mental health and wellness
From mindfulness apps to virtual therapy sessions, digital tools offer instant access to wellness resources (The Globe and Mail):
In 2015, Brie Code was working at leading video game company Ubisoft as lead artificial intelligence programmer when she realized that many people she knew – about half, by her estimation – found video games boring.
… Code left Ubisoft to develop exactly that type of game. Her AI company, Tru Luv, launched its first product, a game appropriately titled #SelfCare, in 2018. Designed with the help of Dutch academic Isabela Granic, a professor at the Behavioural Science Institute (BSI) at Radb...
Source: SharpBrains - October 25, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation Breathing Calm chronic insomnia Clue cognitive behavioural therapy digital mental health digital therapeutic digital wellness Global Wellness Institute global wellness market Headspace Source Type: blogs
Study: Self-guided sleep app Sleepio, combined with standard care for depression and anxiety, delivers better outcomes than standard care alone
Conclusions: Significant clinical benefit was associated with the introduction of an evidence-based digital sleep intervention alongside other mental health interventions for depression and anxiety. Widespread deployment was achieved with immediate availability, minimal additional clinical time or staff training. This approach provides a feasible and highly scalable model for improving mental health outcomes in clinical services.
The Study in Context:
The FDA clears Somryst, Pear’s digital therapeutic to treat chronic insomnia
CVS Health: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) apps may help you more than sleeping pills
A c...
Source: SharpBrains - September 27, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation anxiety app Behaviour Research and Therapy Big Health cognitive behavioural therapy depression digital CBT digital cognitive behavioural therapy digital health insomnia insomnia DTx me Source Type: blogs
The Simpler Talk Therapy That Treats Depression Effectively (M)
The talk therapy that is quicker (and cheaper) than cognitive-behavioural therapy. (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - September 9, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jeremy Dean Tags: Depression subscribers-only Source Type: blogs
The Top 12 Health Chatbots In 2021
Over the past years, smart algorithm-powered, text- or voice-based interfaces have multiplied, and they are also taking their place in healthcare. The Medical Futurist believes Molly, Ginger, Replika and the others will ease the burden on doctors in primary care and help patients learn to take care of their health responsibly.
Would you like to try one? Check out the following video about healthcare chatbots:
The age of talking algorithms is here
In 2018, Google stunned the world with the latest feature of the Google Assistant, Duplex, which was able to make an appointment in a hair salon in eerily hum...
Source: The Medical Futurist - August 31, 2021 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Future of Medicine Healthcare Design AI chatbot digital health Innovation List medical Personalized medicine technology chatbots health chatbot Source Type: blogs
Relaxation Techniques: 5 Proven Ways To Reduce Stress
Relaxation techniques that are scientifically proven include progressive relaxation, autogenic training, meditation and cognitive-behavioural therapy. (Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog)
Source: PsyBlog | Psychology Blog - June 10, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jeremy Dean Tags: Anxiety Mindfulness Source Type: blogs
People With Depression Show Hints Of Distorted Thinking In The Language They Use On Social Media
By Emily Reynolds
A key facet of cognitive behavioural therapy is challenging “cognitive distortions”, inaccurate thought patterns that often affect those with depression. Such distortions could include jumping to conclusions, catastrophising, black and white thinking, or self-blame — and can cause sincere distress to those experiencing them.
But how do we track cognitive distortion in those with depression outside of self-reporting? A new study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, explores cognitive distortions online, finding that those with depression have higher levels of distortion in the language th...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - March 30, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Cognition Mental health Twitter Source Type: blogs
Growing research points to expanding adoption of online cognitive behavioral therapies, both guided and unguided
We are seeing a number of fascinating meta-analyses comparing the value of A) face-to-face vs. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapies and B) guided vs unguided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy, especially in the case of depression.
Here you have a couple great examples, suggesting a growing adoption in the near future of web-based, and increasingly personalized, interventions.
A) A comparison of electronically-delivered and face to face cognitive behavioural therapies in depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Eclinical Medicine). From the Abstract:
Background: Cognitive behavioural ...
Source: SharpBrains - February 22, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation CBT cognitive behavioral therapies depression eCBT Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapies Source Type: blogs
Digital mental health start-up Koa Health raises €30M to accelerate growth in Europe and the US
Mental healthcare startup Koa Health closes €30M Series A funding to expand its international footprint (Silicon Canals):
In a recent development, Barcelona-based digital mental healthcare provider, Koa Health, has announced it closed an oversubscribed €30M Series A funding round … The company had raised the funds back in October 2020 and had also announced its spin-out from Alpha, Telefónica’s startup factory.
The raised capital will be used to boost Koa Health’s growth and expand its international footprint including the US.
Oliver Harrison, CEO of Koa Health says, “We know that there has been a greater...
Source: SharpBrains - February 16, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation Alpha digital mental health Koa Health mental healthcare Oliver Harrison startup Telefónica Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error: New Biopsychosocial Paper on Long-Covid and Somatic Symptom Disorder
By David Tuller, DrPH Biopsychosocial Campaigners Target Long-Covid New papers from the biopsychosocial campaigners often provide opportunities to highlight unwarranted assertions, misleading use of data, and—in particular–associations interpreted as if they were causal relationships and not, well, associations. An article co-authored by Trudie Chalder, a professor of cognitive behavioural therapy at King’s Collge London, and […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - February 9, 2021 Category: Virology Authors: David Tuller Tags: Uncategorized biopsychosocial chalder long-covid Source Type: blogs
The landscape of digital mental health apps: huge unmet needs, quality concerns, app stores asked to ensure transparency
Addressing the mental health crisis (Pharma Field):
Each day we find out more about the mental health effects of the pandemic. Early on, the Office for National Statistics found that one in five Britons reported symptoms of depression, compared with one in 10 before. And, according to a recent study led by the University of Nottingham and King’s College London, stress, anxiety and depression were all significantly higher in participants compared with ‘population norms’, with 64% of the participants reporting symptoms of depression and 57% reporting symptoms of anxiety.
… Through simple force of necessity, COVID-19 ...
Source: SharpBrains - February 5, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation advertising standards cognitive behavioural therapy consumer protection digital health digital health applications digital mental health digital mental health interventions digital therapeutic Source Type: blogs
