The gaps in mental health management, which LifeBack is striving to fill

Like chronic diseases, mental illness typically necessitates long-term management and has substantial, mostly unrecognised primary costs, forcing patients to continually acquire healthcare services in the form of trips to hospitals and clinics, prescriptions, medication, decreased functional efficiency and lost productivity. As a caregiver is required to provide for the patients, managing mental health has a secondary expense.

As per studies, on average, 1/3 of mental diseases are misdiagnosed. Mental illnesses are typically diagnosed based on symptoms, and assessments of diseases are conducted through structured questionnaires employing some rating scales, thus responses and assessments are prone to subjectivity. Patients' responses, to the clinical Interview and symptoms, are not specifically linked to identifiable pathologies. The accuracy of the patient's responses, as well as the empirical knowledge and expertise of clinicians and experts, are crucial in making the correct diagnosis. In India, the availability and accessibility of such expert clinicians are almost nil. Misdiagnosis leads to over, under, or incorrect medication, as well as worsening of the patient's disease conditions. It demotivates the patient and family to stick with the treatment because there are no tangible ways to determine its efficacy or lack thereof. LifeBack promotes differential diagnosis by eliminating or assessing the probability of other confusing diseases.

In both structure and functionality, mental health is related to a healthy brain. The onset and progression of mental illness are influenced by genetic predisposition, environment, childhood experiences, behaviour, and socio-cultural milieu. It is more complex and challenging to diagnose mental illness early on, due to the interaction of epigenetic, genetic, and time factors. Milder manifestations of mental illness, such as morbidity in thought, feeling, and cognition, can have a very long gestation period before enough perceptible symptoms appear for a formal diagnosis. Continuous care and monitoring enable the patient to be better prepared to deal with, postpone, or avoid the next onset. Early interventions can help patients achieve complete remission and reduce the likelihood of another episode occurring. Chronic mental illness has been linked to irreversible brain structure and function damage, which can lead to other, more serious diseases.