Mental health chatbot Wysa funded for $1.3m
Mental health chatbot service Wysa has secured $1.3m in seed funding to develop its app. Wysa is intended to help people manage anxiety and depression through techniques based on cognitive behavioural therapy. The app detects behavioural health issues via smartphone sensors and engages users through a chat interface, said Co-founder Ramakant Vempati. By encouraging users to identify and record thoughts they associate with a shift in mood, the chatbot helps to mitigate negative mental states.

IANS

Mental health chatbot Wysa on Saturday announced that it has raised a total of $1.3 million in seed funding from early stage investment firms Kae Capital and Angel Investors.

Created as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) coach for behavioural and mental health, Wysa offers evidence-based techniques through empathetic, anonymous conversations, the company said in a statement. "Our technology passively detects behavioural health issues from smartphone sensors and engages them through chat," said Ramakant Vempati, co-founder.

Wysa supports a variety of behavioural health use cases, including anxiety, smoking cessation, diabetes and disability support, to reduce healthcare costs and improve adherence.

As per earlier reports British researchers had designed a smartphone app that helped people manage their problems, anxiety and depression, based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The 'Catch It' app uses psychological approaches to mental health and well-being through CBT, a therapy that can help individuals manage problems by changing the way one thinks and behaves. It helps the user identify thoughts and thinking styles associated with a shift in mood or a particular emotion and takes the users through a process. The app helps users better understand their moods through use of an ongoing diary. significant reductions in negative mood intensity and increases in positive mood intensity among participants. A significant reductions in negative mood intensity and increases in positive mood intensity among participants.