With the ongoing pandemic and increasing demand for mental health support, we are in immediate need to have more accessible platforms for mental health. Ginger and Headspace, two digital platforms working to improve mental health and wellbeing, have announced their merger to offer more comprehensive services to their clients. The collaboration has resulted in a new entity, Headspace Health, that is more equipped to offer research-proven solutions in the mental health domain.
With close to 1 billion people living with some mental disorder and half of the US adults experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, the collaboration of two outstanding digital mental health platforms was a much-needed step in dealing with the growing mental health crisis.
Ginger works with individuals and businesses to offer video therapy, behavioral health coaching, and personalized, skill-building activities validated through clinical research, all through digital means. Headspace teaches meditation and mindfulness to improve well-being. It is one of the first meditation apps developed for a global audience.
Both Ginger and Headspace rely heavily on clinical research. Studies show that the team-based care model of Ginger, which includes behavioural health coaching, talk therapy, and psychiatrist help, could improve anxiety and depression by 59% and 70% respectively. Similarly, more than 25 research studies published in peer-reviewed journals show that Headspace is highly effective in reducing stress, increasing resilience, improving focus, and reducing burnout. A study on the use of Headspace and its efficiency was also conducted at Google and Roche. The results showed a 46% decrease in symptoms of depression and an overall increase in positivity and well-being in 8-weeks of using Headspace.
The emergence of a new entity—Headspace Health—through the merger of Ginger and Headspace is going to be revolutionary. Their combined expertise in prevention and clinical care through digital means will offer a holistic healthcare approach for mental well-being and help de-escalate the growing mental health crisis. It will also solve the problem of access to high-quality mental health services across countries.
