My latest venture, Thrive Mental Wellbeing is an app designed to help people become more aware of their mental health, in a comfortable and private environment. I was delighted when I was approached to guest write a blog for Leeds Trinity University, an organisation we work with closely and where staff have access to the Thrive app.  

Worry or fear are emotions that we all experience at some point in our lifetime as a natural human response when we feel that we are under threat or will be under threat shortly. Although it may feel unpleasant, sometimes an appropriate amount of these emotions can be helpful. For example, they may help motivate you to prepare for an interview or exam or respond quickly to a dangerous situation.

Whilst feeling worried from time to time is perfectly normal, when these emotions become excessive and they start getting in the way of you being able to achieve what you need to achieve, we start talking about anxiety and how it can become a mental health problem. Although worries and fears affect us all differently, symptoms of anxiety might be distressing, hard to control or last a long time. People with anxiety might begin to avoid certain situations, or perhaps doing the things they enjoy becomes more difficult. Typical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Restlessness, or feeling on-edge
• Being easily fatigued
• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty controlling feelings of worry or fear
• Headaches, muscle aches, stomach aches, or unexplained pains
• Sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Pounding or racing heart
• Sweating
• Trembling or tingling
• Chest pain
• Feelings of self-consciousness or fear that people will judge them negatively

Through my experience as a clinician, it became obvious to me that people experiencing these issues often come up against barriers to recovery ─ whether it be lack of awareness of what these symptoms indicate, perceived stigma stopping people from seeking help, avoiding seeking help because that in itself makes them anxious or poor accessibility to help due to the strain on our healthcare services. Unfortunately, the data supports this, with less than one in three experiencing a mental health condition seeking help.

The chasm between the individual who needs treatment and support options is too wide, and this is what prompted the creation of Thrive Mental Wellbeing, a mental health service delivered through an app designed by the Thrive team of clinicians and digital experts who feel as strongly as I do that we can and should be building bridges over this chasm.

Thrive Mental Wellbeing has been designed specifically to help identify and manage the most common mental health conditions, including anxiety. Performing regular in-app mental health screenings in our anonymous and confidential setting allows individuals to become more aware of their symptoms, and will prompt interaction with a variety of different support options within the app to aid recovery. This includes techniques to manage anxiety, CBT courses, mindfulness and relaxation sessions to help train focus and manage thoughts, and easy access to your employee assistance programme and support services for where extra intervention may be needed. On top of this, Thrive can also help individuals build psychological resilience, lowering the risk of experiencing a mental health condition in the future.

With over 85% of health apps falling short of recommended standards, Thrive is proud to be leading the way with person-centred, research-backed and clinically proven interventions for mental health that are in line with NHS regulatory standards.

Colleagues at Leeds Trinity University receive access to the Thrive Mental Wellbeing in addition to other support such as an employee assistance programme, trained mental health first aiders and great value access to the campus fitness centre.   

For more information about rewards and benefits for staff at Leeds trinity University, visit the website.

Dr Andres Fonseca is a consultant psychiatrist with over 20 years of clinical experience. He is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Co-Founder of Thrive Mental Wellbeing, a leading digital mental health service.