Patent AU-2018100584-A4 (AU)
Title: Lift me UP, the mental health services App, underpinned in philosophy by the Litchfield Counselling Model, is designed to offer simple, practical advice to help support individuals and employees through their daily mental health challenges, and link users to available mental health professionals. Lift me UP will use sophisticated technology to: • assist in the patient assessment process • monitor & support daily routine • refer users to available mental health professionals • create a uniquely customised experience compared to anything on the market.
Inventor: SWEATMAN ALEXANDER GEOFFEY
IPC: G06Q50/22
Filed: 2018-05-14
Granted: 2018-08-23
Abstract: Lift me UP Mental Health Project Overview Background * Mental health issues affect 7.3 million people in Australia; approximately 3 million have a mild mental health condition diagnosed by a mental health professional. - Mental health is a hidden disability that robs people of the ability to work, interact with others, and limits the ability for them to reach their full potential. - Most people suffering mild conditions feel too embarrassed, ashamed at the thought of sharing their issues face-to-face. - A national survey showed that only 35% of people with a mental disorder had used a health service and 29% consulted a GP within the 12 months before the survey. - The figures are much worse for so called 'mild' conditions such as anxiety and mood disorders with 18% and 7.1% of women seeking help respectively. The numbers are lower for men. Project facilitator Alex Sweetman is a private individual who lives in the Albury Wodonga area. He has provided volunteer support for people suffering mental health and disability for several years. In 2013, he was involved in the counselling of patients under supervision of a professional counsellor while studying a Certificate IV in Counselling. In Oct 2017, Alex Sweetman won the inaugural Hume Bank lifetech challenge competition and received funding to explore the development of his Lift me Up mental health app concept. From November 2017, he has been working with the La Trobe Accelerator Program to bring his concept to life and has set up a volunteer advisory group to steer the development of the app. All anonymous data generated from project activities may be shared with selected stakeholders from time to time for grant and project reporting purposes. Project aims The project aims to confirm the feasibility of building a mobile app to better support people suffering from mental health conditions in-between appointments with their mental health professional. Project overview Stakeholder forums and surveys will be used to help inform the content and features of the app. The Stakeholder Forums are for people diagnosed with mild anxiety and depression and aim to understand the following: " What it is like to live with mental health issues. e The challenges facing people with mental health issues. e The role that an app could play as an intermediary between people suffering with mental health issues and mental health professionals. Lift me UP Mental Health Project, Feb 2018 Volunteer Stakeholder Options You can choose to volunteer your time by completing one of more of the following options: 1. Complete a mental health survey. This survey is open to all people with mental health issues, mental health professionals and workers. 2. Attend Stakeholder forums: attendance is only for people diagnosed with mild anxiety and/or depression from the following groups: * youth 18- 25 e parents with mild anxiety and/or depression e people over the age of 50. 3. Individual and group consultations: for people diagnosed with mild anxiety and/or depression, mental health professionals. 4. Choose to be part of the validation group, which tests the apps features and information For the health and wellbeing of participants and project volunteers, people with moderate to severe mental health issues will not be permitted to participate in this project. Privacy I will collect and store information about you in ways that will not reveal who you are. This means you cannot be identified. I will keep your information for 5 years after the stakeholder engagement is completed. After this time, I will destroy all of your data. The input received from stakeholders may be presented in public forums, but will be presented in a way that does not identify you. Data security For people volunteering to participate in the online survey, your responses are anonymous, meaning I do not know who you are. For people participating in the stakeholder forums and consultations, I will collect information in a way that will not identify who you are. For people participating in the Lift me UP validation, all data will be deleted from the app once the validation is complete. Volunteer advisory group and withdrawal The project advisory group is comprised of individuals with a vested interest in helping support people suffering from mental health conditions. Stakeholder surveys, forums and validation is voluntary, and you can choose to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason. If you have concerns or complaints about the project, please contact Alex Sweetman via email aesweetman@bigpond.com. I understand that if I cannot resolve the issue, an independent third party will be appointed. Lift me UP Mental Health Project, Feb 2018