Digital Innovation: How Technology Supports Youth | Jane Burns | TEDxUNSW
The speaker argues that while physical health crises have established protocols, mental health requires an integrated technological solution, Synergy, to guide individuals toward self-management while ensuring professionals have continuous, encrypted data to tailor care. This system leverages diverse apps and entrepreneurial efforts to create a seamless pathway for mental well-being. Ultimately, the goal is to empower people to remain in control of their care journey. ## Speakers & Context - **Speaker (Mom):** Dedicated 20 years to Suicide Prevention; mother of three children (Harry, Holly, and Angus). - **Context:** Drawing a parallel between the established, known protocol for physical ailments (like a cold) and the current lack of clear support pathways for mental/emotional well-being. - **Implication:** The necessity of applying technological solutions to systemic mental health support gaps. ## Theses & Positions - The most valuable asset for Australia is the human mind and brain, embodied by *"our curiosity the things that make us tick the things that make us us."* - There is a significant gap in knowledge and support pathways for mental illness compared to physical illness. - The goal of proposed technologies is to enable self-management, allowing people to *"remain in control"* of their care journey. - Synergy's purpose is to create a system where the person, regardless of their entry point, *"Got the Right Care at the right time."* - The system aims to move beyond merely recognizing distress by allowing for data-driven, measurable, and adaptable treatment modifications. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Mental Capital:** Described by the Prime Minister as Australia’s most valuable asset, exceeding the value of mining or farming. - **Self-manage/Self-managing:** The state of being empowered and in control of one's wellness. - **Clinically orientative survey:** A type of survey designed to assess where a person currently stands in the progression toward a potential mental illness. - **Synergy:** The integrated system intended to connect various disparate care resources into one seamless support structure for mental well-being. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Cold Protocol Analogy:** The established, easily followed actions for a cold: buying tablets, eating chicken noodle soup, and drinking lemon/honey tea. - **Discovery/Diagnosis Process:** Standardized protocol for physical issues: discovering a lump $\rightarrow$ doctor visit $\rightarrow$ specialist $\rightarrow$ confirmatory tests (mammogram/ultrasound) $\rightarrow$ digital confirmation (text/email). - **Mental Health Gap:** The lack of an immediate, clear pathway for support when experiencing anxiety, sadness, anger, or body image issues. - **Systemic Flaw:** The realization that the difficulty in understanding mental health stems from its complexity (brain, environment, genetics, family, school, work, stress). - **Synergy Data Flow:** Data from various sources (e.g., sleep apps) flows between systems to understand the interrelation of stressors impacting wellness. - **Treatment Measurement:** Using continuous monitoring to determine if implemented therapies (medications, mindfulness) are effective, enabling tailored adjustments. - **Recharge Mechanism Example:** To stop the alarm, one must physically get up and perform star jumps. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Christmas last year:** Speaker discovered a lump in her breast, triggering a clear diagnostic process. - **Back plus 20 years ago:** When the speaker began working in suicide prevention. - **5 years ago:** When the speaker began questioning the efficacy of existing support structures for mental health. - **Historical Trend:** The data shows that the more ill a person becomes, the less likely they are to receive support. ## Named Entities - **Australia:** Setting for the discussion on mental health crisis and social change regarding alcohol use. - **Beyond Blue:** Organization mentioned for mental health awareness campaigns. - **Butterfly Foundation:** Resource specifically noted for supporting individuals with eating disorders. - **Headspace:** Organization mentioned as a recognized support resource. - **Lifeline:** Organization receiving systemic improvements; noted for calling the youth crisis a "national tragedy." - **Brains Trust:** An organization involving young people (age 12 to 25) in shaping research, development, practice, and policy. - **GU of Brain and Mind Centre:** Creator of the Recharge app. - **Lunar/Luning:** Cartoonist whose work the speaker mentioned. - **James Tuton:** Entrepreneur who created the Moonlight Cinema. ## Numbers & Data - **20 years:** Duration the speaker dedicated to Suicide Prevention. - **5:** Current age of child Harry. - **7:** Current age of child Holly. - **9:** Current age of child Angus. - **18:** Age referenced when asking advice to one's younger self. - **80:** The approximate number of young people involved in the Brains Trust. - **12 to 25:** The age range represented in the Brains Trust. - **75%:** Percentage of young people expected to fail in seeking help despite awareness campaigns. - **15 to 24:** The age group where suicide remains the leading cause of death. - **One in four:** Fraction of young people expected to experience a mental health disorder. ## Examples & Cases - **Harry wanting to be a clown:** Anecdote demonstrating childhood aspirations. - **Holly wanting to be a fairy:** Anecdote demonstrating childhood aspirations. - **Angus's communication method:** Uses an iPad because he is nonverbal, having Down Syndrome and autism. - **Social Movement Example:** Chris R building a community in Australia for voluntarily quitting alcohol on Sundays. - **Recharge mechanism:** Requires the user to physically perform star jumps to stop the alarm. - **International Flight Incident:** A researcher was forced to perform star jumps to deactivate a forgotten alarm. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Glass of water:** Used by the speaker to initiate the analogy for physical health protocols. - **iPad/iPhone:** Devices used for accessing the integrated care system and by Angus for communication. - **Moonlight Cinema:** Product by James Tuton, used to disseminate mindfulness concepts. - **Music Escape:** Simple app that analyzes music cadence (e.g., Rage Against the Machine to Walking on Sunshine) to help users select mood-appropriate playlists. - **Recharge:** App co-created with the GU of Brain and Mind Centre, designed for young men to manage sleep and activity through gamification. - **Synergy:** The overarching, integrated digital system designed to unify multiple care resources. - **Apps:** General term for digital tools enabling monitoring (e.g., sleep tracking). ## References Cited - **Beyond Blue:** Referenced for mental health awareness efforts. - **Butterfly Foundation:** Mentioned as a specialized resource for eating disorders. - **Australian government:** Body cited as having continued investment in Synergy. - **James Tuton:** Creator of the Moonlight Cinema. - **Chris R:** Young social entrepreneur who initiated the Sunday sobriety community movement in Australia. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Cold Care:** Medication, soup, and tea are the known, effective alternatives. - **Mental Health Care:** Current alternatives are highly fragmented, lacking a single entry point or consistent guidance. - **Option A (Early Intervention):** Using technology *before* crisis to provide proactive support pathways. - **Option B (Advanced Intervention):** When crisis hits, using technology to transition care to professionals via data handoff. - **Option C (Self-Management):** Empowering the user to remain the primary manager of their care. - **Option D (Treatment Modification):** Utilizing measured data to pivot between therapies (e.g., music therapy $\rightarrow$ physical activity). ## Methodology - **Brains Trust Research:** Involvement of young people as active partners in the research, development, practice, and policy shaping process. - **Agile methodology:** Employed during the Brains Trust work, prioritizing co-design with end-users to ensure usability and relevance. - **Data Collection:** Initiating the process via a tailored wellness survey linked to the user's specific needs. - **API Integration:** Ability to draw in biometric data streams into the Synergy system for comprehensive monitoring. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The primary objective is to determine the feasibility of providing comprehensive support and treatment *online* while maintaining the individual's self-management autonomy. - The technological implementation must facilitate the seamless transfer of collected data to any attending professional. - The system must be designed with *"no wrong door,"* allowing access via technology whether the user is at home, school, or work. ## Implications & Consequences - **Positive Implication:** A fully realized Synergy system allows for continuous, adaptive, and measurable care adjustment, preventing small issues from escalating into crises. - **Negative Implication:** Without such integration, the high rates of youth suicide and generalized confusion over resource navigation will persist. - **Paradigm Shift:** Shifting the focus from merely raising awareness to building functional, data-informed pathways for care. ## Open Questions - Can mental health support and treatment be effectively managed entirely online? - Can the system maintain the user's autonomy to remain self-managing? - Can professional consultations immediately incorporate the compiled, real-time data record to guide treatment decisions? ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'm not going to throw this on you at all."* - *"the most valuable asset that we have which which is our mind and our brain our curiosity the things that make us tick the things that make us the people that we are the people who can love."* - *"I can never underestimate the burden that it has on families on friends on the community on society."* - *"it is a national tragedy and Lifeline call it a crisis and it is one in four young people will experience a mental health disorder."* - *"The idea being there is no wrong door."* - *"we'll be able to measure whether the therapies are working whether the medications are working and we'll be able to tailor treatments to suit you."*