MHM Magazine

34 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | Issue 6 | 2021 MHM In 2019 friends Tafi Mazikana and Sherrie Steyn were chatting about mental health. Tafi shared his life-changing experience of receiving digital support for his mental health difficulties through the NHS Increasing Access to Psychological Treatment (IAPT) service. He knew that Sherrie had trained and worked in an IAPT service as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. Together they wondered how they could help increase psychological support and access for ‘the people back home’. Their passion was such that they committed to researching and developing a low- cost, easily accessible treatment option specifically for the African market, and so, the startup Vimbo Health was born. DEVELOPMENT Vimbo Health was committed to creating a scientifically backed and tested app-based mental health intervention. The ultimate goal was to increase access to high-quality psychological treatment and support through a low resource, cost-effective treatment option. The ability for the app to be integrated into a stepped- care model was crucial. The NHS has adopted the stepped-care model with enough success that the World Health Organisation now encourages services to use it. As a result, Vimbo was developed based on principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) of the UK recommend CBT for people struggling with common mental health difficulties, including depression and anxiety disorders. Backed by rigorous research, CBT has a robust evidence base for its effectiveness. This evidence includes low-intensity modalities of CBT such as guided self-help and Computerised CBT (CCBT). The structured, time-limited and skills-focused approach CBT uses is ideal for this app. Considerations for the South African market included creating a low-data usage platform to reduce costs to the user. Written content included colloquialisms and locally relevant references and examples in hopes of making the app more relatable. Future ambitions hope to have the app available in all official languages to increase access further. by Sherrie Steyn CSO and Co-Founder Vimbo Health Johannesburg, South Africa sherrie@vimbohealth.com DEVELOPING DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS FOR AFRICA MEET VIMBO