COVID-19 could reshape mental health treatment

“We’re seeing a massive upsurge in demand for Flow during the pandemic. COVID-19 has put an even further pressure on us to deliver a treatment to the many in need. As a result, we have increased our stock by over 800%.” said Daniel Mansson, CEO and Co-founder of Flow Neuroscience, the Flow brain stimulation headset allows users to manage their depression at home - and is the first, and only, telehealth treatment of its type to be medically approved in the UK and EU.

Experts predict that adopting telehealth for all healthcare provision could save NHS England £7.5bn annually. UK healthcare expenditure in 2017 was £197.4bn, or 9.6% of GDP, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This will rise sharply as the pandemic forces the NHS to allocate more resources on life support, rather than mental health. And digital health venture funding hit a record £2.5bn invested during the first quarter of 2020, more than 1.5 times than any previous year.

The pandemic has prompted a surge in demand for telehealth worldwide. In China, millions used health platforms such as those offered by Alibaba.In the mental health sector, telehealth providers include My Online Therapy and Flow Neuroscience.

Telehealth is uniquely positioned to reshape mental health care provision. As the UK continues its lockdown measures to mitigate the impact of coronavirus, and as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to rise, the pandemic may serve as a tipping point for a surge in telehealth in the NHS.

The Flow headset uses tDCS, a type of brain stimulation that is now listed as a treatment for depression on the NHS website. Clinical studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the British Journal of Psychiatry showed that the type of tDCS brain stimulation used in the Flow headset had a similar impact to antidepressants with fewer and less-severe side effects.

More information about the Flow headset can be found here. While using the headset, users engage with a therapy app which improves areas of life impacted by depression, including nutrition, sleep and exercise. The Flow therapy app is free to download on iOS and Android.

"This feels like a moment for telehealth that is uniquely positioned to deliver mental health care both remotely and at scale”, said Mansson. “Empowering individuals to self-manage their mental health at home with evidenced-based, drug-free, cost effective alternatives match the current evolving needs of the NHS during the pandemic, and beyond."