From Burnout to Breakthrough: How My Mental Health Struggle Inspired an AI Revolution

The Unexpected Turn

After 15 years of building tech companies, I found myself at a crossroads. I had just closed my fifth startup, and the entrepreneurial fire that had driven me for years was flickering out.

“I just didn’t want to build another business. I wanted to do more, something more challenging.”

Little did I know that this moment of uncertainty would lead me to tackle one of the biggest challenges in healthcare: mental health.

A Personal Journey

My interest in mental health wasn’t just professional curiosity. It was deeply personal.

As someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder type II, I had experienced firsthand the challenges of navigating the mental health care system. The long wait times, the misdiagnoses, the trial-and-error approach to treatment — all of it felt outdated and inefficient in our age of technological advancement.

“Mental health has always been a big passion of mine, but I always focused on commerce and SaaS. Now, I was dealing with my own mental health, my family’s mental health.”

The AI Revelation

It was during this period of reflection that I had a revelation about the potential of AI in mental health care.

“When AI came in, I saw the conjunction between technology and mental health,” I realized. “I saw finally a technology that could impact mental health the same way x-ray machines impact diagnostics, or genome sequencing.”

I realized that AI could do something revolutionary: it could mimic and enhance the core of mental health treatment — the conversation between two people. But it could do so while gathering data, analyzing patterns, and making predictions in a way no human could.

The Stark Reality of Mental Health Care

As I dug deeper into the state of mental health care, the statistics I uncovered were staggering:

• 1 in 2 people experience a mental disorder every year
• It takes an average of 11 years to receive a proper mental health diagnosis
• 68% of people are misdiagnosed in primary care settings
• 72% of patients lie to their mental health professionals

These numbers weren’t just data points; they represented millions of people suffering unnecessarily, their lives and potential diminished by inadequate care.

The Birth of Hana

This realization led to the birth of Hana, an AI-powered voice interface designed to bridge the gap between patients and doctors.

“Hana is a 24/7 companion for patients to manage mental health, and an assistant for doctors to deliver better, data-driven care.”

The key features of Hana include:

1. An AI-driven pre-diagnostic tool with 94% accuracy
2. Voice-activated journaling
3. Weekly mental health reports
4. An intelligent follow-up system

But Hana is more than just a set of features. It’s a paradigm shift in how we approach mental health care.

Addressing the Challenges

One of the biggest challenges in mental health care is the accuracy and speed of diagnosis. “We know that from studies they used already natural language processing, using for example, Reddit datasets to early diagnose depression or ADHD. Right now we have a 95% accuracy rate.”

Another significant issue is patient honesty.

“We know 80% of people lie to their doctors. I feel that AI is a perfect play, right? It’s an entity. It doesn’t judge you.”

Hana addresses these challenges by providing an unbiased, always-available platform for patients to share their thoughts and feelings. The AI can detect patterns and warning signs that might be missed in infrequent human-to-human interactions.

Building the Dream Team

I knew that to bring Hana to life, I needed a team that shared my passion and brought diverse expertise to the table.

“I started to believe more in equity that is distributed,” I said. “Instead of having like two people trying to build a company, maybe having five people with a significant equity stake inside.”

I was fortunate to connect with incredible individuals who believed in the vision:

• Sthita Pujari, our Head of AI, an advanced machine learning specialist
• Dr. Liam Shine, a clinical psychologist with 25 years of experience
• Dr. Kirsten Thompson, a psychiatrist operating four clinics in the US

Together, we’ve built a prototype that’s already showing promising results, with a 94% accuracy rate in preliminary testing.

The Road Ahead

The journey of building Hana has been both challenging and deeply rewarding. We’re navigating complex regulatory landscapes, pushing the boundaries of AI technology, and working tirelessly to ensure that Hana is not just innovative, but truly helpful and ethical.

We’re pursuing a two-pronged approach: developing a consumer-facing wellness tool while simultaneously working towards medical device approval.

“Going into market with a pre-diagnostic model that doesn’t require medical device approval, while also creating a dashboard for doctors that will need approval.”

The Vision for the Future

Our vision for Hana goes beyond creating another app or digital tool. We aim to revolutionize mental health care by:

1. Dramatically improving the speed and accuracy of diagnoses
2. Enhancing treatment efficacy through continuous monitoring and data-driven insights
3. Reducing the burden on overworked mental health professionals
4. Making quality mental health support accessible to all, regardless of location or economic status

“I want to see how we can empower therapists with a better tool than the DSM-5,” I said, referring to the current standard in mental health diagnosis. “My vision for Hana is almost like bringing that DSM book, chuck it in the bin, and say, ‘Okay. Now we have technology. Now we can actually do better.’”

Join Us in This Mission

As we stand on the cusp of transforming mental health care, I invite you to join us on this journey. Whether you’re a potential user, a mental health professional, an investor, or simply someone who believes in the power of technology to improve lives, there’s a place for you in the Hana story.

“I don’t do this because it’s a good business idea. I do this because it needs to be done. Anything else, I wouldn’t do it.”

Together, we can create a world where mental health support is just a conversation away, where no one has to suffer in silence, and where we can all live healthier, happier lives.

The future of mental health care is here.

And it starts with Hana.