Ariel Garten, co-founder of Toronto-based InteraXon, developer of Muse, the world’s most popular neurofeedback wearable.Thomas Bollmann
Canadians are struggling. According to a 2024 report released by the Canadian Mental Health Association, more than a quarter of the country’s population say their mental health is “poor” or “fair;” half will have had a mental health issue by the age of 40, and “all Canadians have been affected, either through their own experience, or that of a family member, friend or colleague,” by poor mental health.
It’s a “high alert” issue because psychological well-being “is a main factor in overall health,” the report says.
The fourth-highest cause of disability in Canada, poor mental health “has far-reaching economic and societal implications,” including greater workplace absenteeism and reduced productivity, according to a recent federal report, which pegs the annual economic burden at $51-billion.
Mental health meets apps and gadgets
The evolution in mental health awareness has coincided with remarkable growth in the use and advancement of technology-powered products aimed to meet the needs of those suffering from depression, anxiety, grief, stress and more.
There are more than 10,000 apps to help improve mental health, according to American Psychiatric Association. Many provide meditative techniques to help manage symptoms. Others connect users with real or artificial-intelligence therapists. Hundreds specialize in certain symptoms like anxiety or depression or couples’ therapy.
With more than 100 million downloads, Headspace, which claims to be “the world’s leading meditation app,” offers structured meditation sessions and mind-focus training courses scientifically proven to relieve stress.
Most people find it challenging to meditate. It’s hard to understand what’s happening. You’re supposed to be meditating but your brain’s bouncing all over the place.
— Ariel Garter, co-founder of InteraXon Inc.
BetterHelp, which offers online therapy, recently announced it surpassed five million users across 100 countries. The platform, which also features all-you-can-text messaging, now employs 30,000 licensed therapists.
For those not ready to divulge feelings to a human, Youper, Wysa and many other apps offer emotionally intelligent chatbots with which to share deepest thoughts. These AI pocket therapists help users work through symptoms any time, anywhere, using motivational interviewing, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), breathing exercises and more.
“Access to quality psychotherapy is hard to find and expensive,” says Judith Law, chief executive officer of Anxiety Canada, the Vancouver-based charity that developed one of the world’s first therapy apps.
Launched in 2013, MindShift is still free and CBT-focused, but now with more services, including a forum option for peer-to-peer support in a moderated space.
“Having a free, easy-to-access, science-based app makes it easier for users who are concerned about stigma and being judged,” says Ms. Law. “We also see it as an opportunity to reach teens and young adults who seek information on their devices.”
How to train your brainwaves
Another approach to mental-health improvement experiencing leaps in innovation involves neurotechnologies – or electronics that interact with the brain and nervous system.
Numerous at-home products can measure brain function and give real-time feedback displays, allowing users to identify brain patterns related to calm or focus.
Dr. Sanjeev Goel, seen here experiencing hyperbaric oxygen therapy at his Peak Human clinic in Brampton, Ont., says at-home neurotechnology devices give people convenience and agency.Supplied
By making brain states more apparent to recipients, these neurofeedback devices appear to accelerate the learning process required to consciously control brain states, and ultimately, manage stress, improve focus and more, according to many studies.
Most at-home neurofeedback therapy devices rely on EEG (electroencephalogramy) headsets that measure brainwaves, paired with “train the brain” apps that teach cognitive self-regulation.
BrainLink and Emotiv headsets, for example, translate brainwaves into visual representations that change based on one’s mental state – the goal being to consciously maintain the visuals related to relaxed or focused brainwaves.
The Mendi is one of the few headbands that uses fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) to measure the brain’s blood flow and oxygenation. The more relaxed one is, the lower the blood flow. Mendi catches and digitizes this so users can play brain-training games requiring focus and calmness: brain workouts to optimize brain health.
Rather than visual cues, Muse – the world’s most popular neurofeedback wearable, with more than 500,000 headsets sold – emits gentle audio prompts to help users sustain meditative states.
Retailing for $239 to $499 depending on the version, Muse is backed by research from NASA, Harvard University, Yale University and University of Western Ontario – the latter reporting improved stress management and focus ability in 70 per cent of participants.
“Most people find it challenging to meditate,” says Ariel Garter, co-founder of InteraXon Inc., the Toronto-based developer of Muse. “It’s hard to understand what’s happening. You’re supposed to be meditating but your brain’s bouncing all over the place.”
Muse technology helps users recognize signs of a wandering mind before they fully develop and apply techniques to maintain focus, says Ms. Garter.
“We want to create healthy brains,” she says, adding that InteraXon’s research partners are using Muse to explore preventatives for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“Over the next five years, we’re going to have a significantly greater understanding of both the healthy brain as well as the brain as it ages and degrades, which can help us create interventions to avoid those downstream consequences.”
Eternal sunshine of the stimulated mind
For those wanting more immediate symptom relief than the learning process required by neurofeedback therapy, brain stimulation, another popular neurotechnology, may be the answer.
Backed by thousands of studies, at-home neuromodulation devices come in many forms but all with the same idea: sending tiny zaps to specific parts of the brain to alter its activity.
Anxiety Canada CEO Judith Law says her organization’s seminal, online therapy app Mindshift makes it easier for users to access therapeutic advice.Supplied
Nurosym delivers low-level electrical signals to the brain through a wearable earpiece. NuroMyst lets users to choose their own electrode placement, depending on whether they want to feel calm, awake or focused, or want to improve their memory or activate other brain regions.
Instead of electrical currents, Neuronic’s Light Helmet stimulates neurons with near-infrared light to gently boost brain activity.
Brain stimulation increases neuroplasticity, or the ability to form new pathways in the brain, which can help people get out of depressive ruts, explains Dr. Sanjeev Goel, a medical doctor and founder of Peak Human, a clinic in Brampton, Ont., known for using cutting-edge, biohacking technologies.
Medical uses of neurostimulation have long proved successful in promoting stroke recovery, treating depression and easing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, ADHD, OCD and more. The flourishing use of at-home products “makes a lot of sense,” says Dr. Goel. Wearable devices give people convenience and agency. “People should have more power over their own mental health,” he says.
Dr. Goel says it’s important to engage due diligence when considering use of any kind of wellness technology, as not all of it is scientifically backed, and some developers can mislead with inaccurate information or advance potential ethical exploitation.
Mental-health technology is a tool, and like any tool, its impact is dependent on proper use, says Dr. Goel.
He also offers some decidedly traditional advice: “If symptoms are causing distress or concern,” he says, “it’s best to consult a mental-health professional.”
