Healios begins trials of mental health app for schoolchildren

Digital health firm Healios is beginning clinical trials of ThinkNinja, an app designed to help children with mental health problems. ThinkNinja is aimed at helping young people aged 11 to 17 years old with their mental health, emotional well-being, and resilience, and supports symptoms of anxiety and low mood. The product is the first in a series in development from Healios and aims to provide instant access to high-quality, early intervention care for young people, especially for those who are struggling with their mood. The trial will test ThinkNinja with 5,000 school children across schools in Madrid, Devon, Hampshire, Somerset, and Derbyshire.
Healios said ThinkNinja has been built by technical, design, and clinical experts, guided by young people. The app uses a learning algorithm to develop a deeper understanding of the user, through asking a series of clinically related questions. It is designed as an early intervention to help with the stresses that life throws at all teenagers, from exams to relationships and dealing with social interactions. ThinkNinja can pick up on behaviours that fuel anxiety and low mood and then help the user develop new behaviours and coping strategies to face their fears.