Due to the outbreak that has happened nowadays, a large number of people are having mental and psychological problems. The isolation and confinement processes have also increased the risk of depression, self-harm, self-neglecting behavior, and decline in cognitive functioning.
For some professionals, social distancing is a regular practice, but for countless people, the experience of isolation is a challenging one. NASA professionals, astronauts, terrestrial scientists also spend weeks or months in isolated areas and are used to it. However, prolonged social isolation can adversely impact the health and wellbeing of individuals. Even before COVID-19, it was recognized that prolonged social isolation had a negative impact too.
The most critical issue is that COVID-19 is a really serious situation. It is a situation for solidarity and cooperation with other people. So how can we do this?
We aim to create a website that will link psychiatrists with the patients who are suffering from COVID-19 mood swings problems. The psychiatrists will make teleconferences as moderator with the group of patients to ensure group therapy sessions. The purpose of the sessions will be to help patients to remember that they are not alone in this situation. Our platform will reduce the risk associated with social isolation and will help people get together in teleconferences. The solution that we found will have an impact on people by ensuring them to have a positive experience for themselves and others.
Our platform also will help astronauts and endorse them in space too. By using AI technology, we will provide AI psychiatrists to astronauts who will help and guide them to positivity. The tech-psychiatrist will give directives to the astronauts on long-duration spaceflight and will gather them in group sessions with other astronauts. Therefore, the astronauts will try to avoid countermeasure actions such as depression, stress, and mood swings that could happen in space due to self-isolation.
As this Corona situation continues, the conditions get worse, and people could not go to the psychiatrists to seek help and continue their treatment. If the patients keep having psychological problems, during and after the pandemic, it will be a complete catastrophe for the whole world. Our solution aims to help people by abiding them with technological adaptations such as video conferencing and teleworking. The purpose of the sessions will be to help patients to remember that they are not alone in this situation. In order to combat social isolation, we are bringing thousands of people in therapy sessions.
Rather than pushing, ignoring or ending social isolation, if we put it in our lives in a positive way, we will be more successful. Because we hate the situation or think of it as a negative process will reflect on our wellbeing. So we will make it to be used as a tool to adapt.
Our motivation for choosing this challenge was because of the current situations with being under lockdown. We have realized that life is not the same as it was before. Moreover, people are not eligible to do everything that they want because of social distancing and self-isolation. Due to the new precautions that have taken from all countries, people have started to experience anxiety, stress, and other mood disorders. People currently experience mood-state changes due to quarantine, such as uncertainty, sadness, and boredom (emotion-state). People possess these kinds of emotional changes because of the adaptation to the new situation and future worries. So the reasons are obvious. This mood is experienced across the population. Psychological damage will be evident after the situation is over.
According to data given in 2014 slightly less than 3 out of every 100 people in the US were treated for mood fluctuations. This compares to about 2 per 100 in 1997. 8.7 million patients are getting treatment from the psychiatrists. The estimated market value is 770 million dollars. It means there is a considerable amount of increase in this market. Besides, as we predict the estimated market value will increase each year by 10%, which will tell that the people will need to get help for their wellbeing. As the data shows, the COVID-19 will fasten the process, and it will be more people in need of help.
Mental health is essential for people living in isolated areas, reaching about 41% of the population. We have to help people get well again and remind them that they are not alone in this crisis.
In order to make the project more powerful, we have used NASA’s databases and benefited from data given from the websites of ESA, JAXA, CSA, and CNES. During these two days, we were able to create a functioning DEMO website while using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SCSS, Angular. Lastly, we have used tensorflow.js for machine learning in the chatbot, Theresa.
https://bratsboom.com/ontherapy/