There is a growing crisis in adolescent mental health with alarming rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Despite significant need, existing services cannot keep up with the demand, leading to long waiting periods before treatment can be accessed. While on a waiting list for mental health treatment, patients typically receive no support despite experiencing ongoing psychological distress that can worsen symptoms and poorer treatment outcomes. To address this gap, Myndgard - a digital health company supported by an Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund grant – is developing personalised approaches to monitoring mental health to improve treatment outcomes.
As a co-founder of Myndgard, Dr. Sean Kelley will discuss his experience founding a start-up along with the benefits and challenges that accompany a transition from academia to industry. Sean will cover Myndgard's evolution from academic research to commercial application, highlighting the future development of algorithms to predict episodes of relapse and create on-demand personalised support tools. More generally, Sean will discuss the potential economic and social impact of mental health startups, along with artificial intelligence, in addressing the global mental health crisis.
Learn more about Dr. Sean Kelley's research here.
This event will be hosted by Prof Rob Whelan and is open to staff and students and will take place on Wednesday April 30th at 4pm in LB11, Llyod Building. If you are unable to attend in person, you can join via zoom.