New Stress and Coping Tool Features Wysa to Help Singaporeans in a Post-Pandemic World Adjust to Life in a “New Normal”

Singapore, Singapore, October 26, 2020 –(PR.com)– This new version of the web-app service mindline.sg now includes access to
internationally-acclaimed Wysa, an emotionally intelligent chatbot. Wysa is an award-winning chat platform for AI-guided mental health self-care support. Wysa is usually a paid service that is now being made available to mindline.sg users free-of-charge for an initial period of one year.

mindline.sg is a Singapore-developed stress management and coping website that consolidates access to local resources with a wellbeing self-assessment tool. A multi-disciplinary team, including clinicians and social and computer scientists from the Ministry of Health Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), jointly developed mindline.sg.

Consolidated Resources
mindline.sg and Wysa have been integrated to maximise ease-of-use. All usage is completely anonymous and no personal or identifiable information is collected. The new and expanded version of mindline.sg will help individuals manage stress and anxiety through a wide range of self-help resources and exercises and, if needed, direct users to local resources and hotlines. In addition, the collaboration with Wysa provides mindline.sg users with access to meditation, breathing, yoga, motivational conversations and exercises.

Said Professor Robert Morris, MOHT�s Chief Technology Strategist: “We are often inundated with information when all we really need is a chance to be listened to, and to ask the right questions so we can figure things out. Think of mindline.sg as a battery of useful resources, a constant companion and trusted friend, who listens to us and guides us through our challenges in a privacy-preserving and non-judgmental manner. If needed, it will guide us how to reach out for help.”

Useful During COVID-19
While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought mental health awareness to the
forefront, many could be hesitant to reach out for help due to concerns of social stigma.

“We hope that by providing an anonymous and safe space, and availing users to the self-assessment tool with needs-matching to resources, we can reduce the barriers to help seeking, and empower them to take the first step to self-management and regaining their emotional and mental wellbeing,” said Dr Jimmy Lee, Senior Consultant at IMH.

Empowering Users Through Technology
Easily accessible on a smartphone or computer, users can assess their own needs, find appropriate help and resources conveniently, and feel empowered to manage their own stress through the use of technology.

“We’re delighted to see Wysa’s AI-guided support integrated into Singapore’s
mental health services, so it can act as a ‘digital front door’ to provide help even at 4 am,” added Ramakant Vempati, co-founder, Wysa. “This has been flexibly integrated with existing services so users can either get self-care or escalate to the right service, while maintaining clinical assurance and privacy. Collaborating with mindline.sg is a big step forward in our mission of enabling access to mental health at scale,” he concluded.

About Wysa
Wysa is an AI-based “emotionally intelligent” chat platform, which combines AI chat and digital self-help with expert human support to its users directly as well as enable insurers, healthcare providers, employers offer large-scale self-management of mental wellness to their members, patients, and employees. With 1.9 million users across more than 30 countries, Wysa is the top-rated app in the NHS and by ORCHA for stress and anxiety, and also ORCHA’s top app to manage anxiety and support self-care during COVID-19.

About MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT)
MOHT is an agile unit with the mandate to address fundamental and longer-term issues critical for system-level healthcare transformation to meet Singapore’s changing demography, and health and disease patterns. MOHT works with partners to identify pilots that support its programmes and complement ongoing work.

About the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF)
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) aims to nurture resilient individuals, strong families and a caring society. We develop the “heartware” for Singapore through our policies, community infrastructure, programmes and services.

About the National Council of Social Service (NCSS)
NCSS is the umbrella body for over 450-member social service organisations in Singapore. Its mission is to provide leadership and direction in enhancing the capabilities and capacity of our members, advocating for social service needs and strengthening strategic partnerships, for an effective social service ecosystem.

About the Institute of Mental Health (IMH)
The Institute of Mental Health (IMH), a member of the National Healthcare Group, is the only tertiary psychiatric care institution in Singapore. Located on the 23-hectare campus of Buangkok Green Medical Park in the north-eastern part of Singapore, IMH offers a multidisciplinary and comprehensive range of psychiatric, rehabilitative and therapy services in hospital-based and community-based settings.