Urban Health is a clinical-grade digital therapeutic that helps primary care physicians recognize the symptoms of anxiety and decide if treatment is necessary
The US is currently dealing with a growing mental health crisis involving anxiety and depression, despite the fact that concerns about COVID-19 have finally begun to dissipate. The US Preventive Services Task Force has recently recommended that adults aged 18 to 65 get screened for anxiety, even if they don’t have any symptoms, because it’s important to know how these conditions affect all Americans. Through the use of screening instruments like anxiety measures, assessments, and questionnaires, the recommendations are intended to assist primary care physicians in recognizing the symptoms of anxiety during routine checkups.
Screening is only the first step, but acknowledging anxiety’s prevalence and harm is crucial to resolving America’s mental health crisis. A clinical-grade digital therapeutic (DTx) like Urban Health helps a doctor decide if treatment is necessary from that point on.
The obstacles to treating anxiety Many people face obstacles in their quest for treatment, such as the belief that it is unnecessary, the desire to pursue self-help, and the fear of what other people might think of them. The obstacles are not only internal; Additionally, areas with a significant shortage of mental health professionals are home to 157 million people.
All of those barriers can be removed when employers choose to provide employees with Urban Health as a mental health benefit.
How to do it
- Low perceived need: Many workers are unaware that their difficulties are connected to their mental health. Benefits professionals can reach them through targeted, refined, and friendly communication campaigns like encouraging them to take a private quiz to learn how anxiety might affect their lives, like the one in Urban Health.
- Desire for self-help: Even when workers are aware that they require assistance, many are reluctant to seek it from a professional. The best approach to satisfying the desire for self-help is digital therapy. Urban Health offers unprecedented privacy and convenience in mental health care with self-paced, interactive modules that can be accessed at any time from any mobile device.
- Stigma: Many workers are afraid that if they talk about a mental health issue, their coworkers will judge them, their job will be at risk, and they will be seen as weak. Because they can be used privately, at home, or in any other location a person chooses, digital therapeutics reduce mental health stigma.
- Access: A lack of mental health providers prevents employees from using their EAP or behavioral health network for treatment. Urban Health is a one-of-a-kind, scalable solution that provides the same “gold standard” of anxiety treatment—cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—while simultaneously avoiding shortages and reducing wait times.
Why CBT is so important for treating anxiety
There is no doubt that CBT is the best treatment for anxiety, which means that psychologists most often recommend it.
A type of evidence-based therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works by assisting individuals in breaking the cycle of unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and actions that keep them stuck. Anxiety sufferers may benefit from exposure, stimulus control, and progressive realization as cognitive and behavioral strategies. As it helps people take control of their anxiety, Urban Health teaches those methods.
Because anxiety is a condition that has biological, psychological, and social components, this is crucial. By focusing on the thoughts and behaviors that contribute to anxiety, CBT addresses all of these aspects. Anxiety symptoms can be reduced and recovery from the condition can be achieved by altering these thoughts and actions.