After battling anxiety and depression for much of her life, this teen decided to help others with technology.
For almost half her life, Amanda Southworth has been battling demons.
She’s fought off anorexia, anxiety and depression. And many times, when the demons overwhelmed her, she says she tried to take her own life.
Now, Amanda’s on a path to recovery — and she wants to take others who are dealing with the same emotions with her.
Her weapon of choice? An app.
Amanda, who’s only 16, has developed AnxietyHelper, an app that features games and exercises to help people through panic attacks.
It also utilizes a user’s location services to find life-saving resources nearby and includes how-to’s for loved ones trying to help.
She’ll be the first to admit that resources alone aren’t the solution to this complex inner turmoil.
But, she believes, apps like hers are a small first step.
It was around the 4th grade when Amanda first began to develop an eating disorder, she says. But it was at the start of junior high when a family move placed her in a new school that things began to spiral.
Soon Amanda started to have her first run-ins with depression and anxiety. A few months later, she began contemplating suicide, she said.
“It was kind of a cascading effect all at once at the very beginning and then it never went away,” she said.
The stigma against seeking help kept her from reaching out, she said. And when she did reach out, some counselors were dismissive, she said.
Amidst all the chaos, Amanda became part of the school robotics team and discovered an unlikely outlet to help her channel her emotions: programming.
Then, a stint at the Kode with Klossy coding camp, really made Amanda evaluate her potential.
That same summer, she formed the idea for AnxietyHelper.
She said she pored through books learning about techniques and tools geared toward those feeling suicidal. She spoke to those she knew with mental illnesses about what they’d most value in an app. When AnxietyHelper came out, Amanda was heartened to see it being used.
“I suddenly put myself in charge of this software that a substantial amount of people were using and I realized, ‘Oh, some people do need me,'” she said.
“Having components of an app that are engaging and sustaining is integral to successful mental care,” he told CNN.
From there, Amanda’s career blossomed. She dropped out of high school to begin her software nonprofit Astra Labs. Since then, she’s also created a second app and has several others in the works.
“Both her mother and I realized that this is an unusual circumstance and that I don’t think high school was addressing her curiosity,” her father, George Southworth, said.
To pay for expenses, Amanda saved her allowance, Christmas money and worked side jobs, like babysitting and app design.
Then, a few months ago, she got some great news.
She received a $25,000 grant from TOMS Social Entrepreneurship Fund, which invests in young entrepreneurs who use business to improve lives.
Written by Ursula Perano and Saeed Ahmed for CNN.
communications concept: girl using a digital generated smart phone. All screen graphics are made up.