Liverpool psychiatrist launches app that will help people to take control of their mental health
Dr Hassan Yasin will launch Moodit this summer after investing a five-figure sum – and is now crowdfunding to take thew app onto the next level of its development. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Hassan Yasin has created an app that he claims will allow users to “take real ownership” of their mental health.
Dr Yasin, who has personally invested a substantial five figure sum into the project, will launch Moodit this summer and the entrepreneur is also starting a crowdfunding campaign to enhance existing features and take it on to the next level of development.
He believes it offers a platform enabling people from all walks of life to practise being mentally well, while still having fun and engaging on a “deeper social” level.
Also part of the project’s longer term plans is for Moodit to create a “unique ecosystem” that will have a deep and personal impact on each user.
Dr Yasin said: “I hope to create a system that is both predictive and prescriptive, telling users when they will struggle and what they need to do about it. Ultimately, we want to enable Moodit to provide insights into human emotion on a scale that has never been seen before.
“It’s about creating a unique experience for people that will be both fun and functional and will start to make a positive impact on their lives. I believe the app will be beneficial to anyone using it and in some cases, will be life-saving.”
His inspiration for Moodit was when he worked on a mental health inpatient unit with young people with mental health difficulties.
He explained: “I saw that there were two core elements that improved their sense of self and wellness… being able to understand their own emotional journey and, being able to articulate it. This is especially difficult during low and distressing periods.
“It occurred to me that a device that enabled them to improve their engagement and social connectedness with and about their feelings would offer potentially marked improvements in their mental wellbeing.”
Dr Yasin is launching version one of the Moodit app this summer on iOS alongside its developer engineer.ai at a press conference in London aimed at health & technology press.
“The app’s launch marks the end of a long chapter in its initial development but we’re now ready and the media attention will help us attract our target markets which include the UK’s agencies responsible for mental health,” he added.