MobiDep

An intelligent mobile application that promote assessment of depression and augment the management through maintaining daily tasks and counselling with the help of artificial intelligence(AI) based agent thats enriched with psychological knowledge and adaptive to learn from new experience. Consequently, it can serve as a smart-counsellor for hard-to-reach population.

Our target is to ease depraved people into getting help for depression, and overcome the stigma well apparent in our country. Our solution is to develop an intelligent mobile application to assist the depression management process from identification to prevention. To help the early identification the users will answer a questionnaire, based on the Diagnostic Criteria of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Then the assessed mood will be noted and quantified using the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale to measure the severity of depression.

Then the app will attempt to recognize his personality pattern based on few common questions on his different taste and preferences. After this the person will have a set of tasks to select for his/her preferred activities. The app will provide customized daily tasks for the user that will help them to maintain a routine. The users can chat with a virtual persona bot who will interact with the user, help perform tasks together to maintain the daily task. After completing every desired task he/she will receive a virtual reward. The tasks are - 

Task a : Set a specific time to do these tasks everyday

Task b: Choose among a selection of music to listen from

Task c: Choose among a selection of inspiring videos to watch from

Task d: Read a small article on an inspiring/motivating event/person

Task e: Solve a puzzle

Task f: Write down something about yourself

Task g: Accomplish some level of exercise(passive)

Task h: Color a drawing

Depending on the depression level, the app will periodically recommend closest help available and form a way to connect to them. 

Our solution attempt to combat with the increasing burden of depression by giving eassy access to information, support and necessary connection to health service. Due to wide spread stigma people are reluctant (or don't know) to seek help from mental health care professionals and there are severe scarcity of mental health professionals. A psychiatrist is supposed to treat about one million of people in Bangladesh. Moreover, 90% of these professionals are confined in the capital city Dhaka, leaving majority of population (70%) under served. Our smart solution "MobiDep" will address this hard-to-reach population. 

Music has long been used to improve mood and reduce depression. Art therapy has also established as important intervention. Moreover, personalized motivational speech and a support to fulfil the daily routine is of great value. Integrating these current depression counter tools into the adaptive AI agent will support to address the challenge.  

We are expecting the application able to help people to reduce or manage the depression, will promote the connection with the professionals. It will also help people to complete their daily activities. 

The number of registered users. - Acceptance of the mobile app

The patient self report on depression in a 0-10 scale just after using app, qualitative interview at least 20% of the app users and quantitative measurement using valid Bangla Depression Scale at 2 weeks intervals. - Effect on mood

Depression Stigma Scale among the user before and use of the app.

How many people are talking about the app in the social networking sites. - Stigma and awreness

Our solution is a mobile application which caters to serve people who need help. It assesses depression level, provides routine tasks for users and counsels, motivates and inspires them through our smart bot. This solution is for the undeserved people in developing countries who will have an option to screen their depression level, aware of their condition and get help through the app. Our bot learns from talking with the users, thus involving them in the process.

Through Smartphone with an internet connection. According to research, 50% people use smartphone,  97% household has at least one mobile phone. Our standing is this is the best channel to gain access to largest number of people.

Since the main goal is to allow more people to reach out to seek help for depression, we will not charge our users anything. Our target for sustainability is through funds, fees from connected resources and anonymous data gathered from our users. 

Research and pilot phase: Apply for government fund, pharmaceutical companies andvarious donors who are working towards solving nationwide mental healthcare problems. 

After the pilot phase: We will have a network of resources and users for depression and rehabilitation, through which patients who are unwilling to communicate their problem due to stigma will be able to seek help. We will charge fees from those resources. 

Growth period: Anonymous data collected from users will be monetized to researchers and other entities who will be benefited from the data.

1. First challenge is the overall social acceptance of our solution. Some who need help/provide help maynot be inclined initially to seek help through an mobile app.
2. Using an app limits the number of methods we can apply to improve user condition. Although we can recommend closest resources for help but, we can not, for example, prescribe medication for our users.
3. Being an app, we can't reach all people who are suffering from depression.
4. Getting enough funding to sustain initially will be a challenge due to lack of awareness about the effects of depression.

• Our solution is for people who are in dire need of assistance but can not access it due to lack of help and social stigma. Our app for depressed is a perfect opportunity for Solve to support and nurture a solution that helps millions of people in Bangladesh, and expand to other developing countries. 
• The excellent mentorship from Solve
• Access to a huge platform that will help the world take notice of the problem, connect with similar mindsets and inspire people to come up with innovative solutions. 
• More investors. We need them.

United Internation University, Bangladesh

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

Bioengineering group, Imperial College, London, UK

National Institute of Mental Health(NIMH), ministry of health, Bangladesh

Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation (JPUF) Ministry of Social Welfare, Bangladesh

Telepsychiatry Research and Innovation Network

There is no known competitor in Bangladesh.