According to research, more than one in every ten people experiences some form of mental health issue. This number has only increased ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. What if there was an effective way to determine mental health issues and help people on the spot? It was this thought that drove Nithika N, a Class VIII student of DAV Public School in Chennai to find a solution — a solution that made her one of the winners at HCL Jigsaw, a competitive critical reasoning platform to determine India's Top Young Problem Solvers. Class VIII students were asked to create a healthcare app that can help in smooth consultation and complete the treatment.   

So, what did Nithika suggest? As part of her solution, Nithika wanted to develop an app that can help mental health patients on the spot. "The app will have three distinct features. Firstly, people using the app can take a selfie and upload it on the app. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, the app will suggest uplifting music and motivational quotes after analysing the person's facial features. This, hopefully, will help them feel better before seeking professional help," says Nithika.

And this is only the start. The app will also come with a built-in planner and here too, Nithika suggests the use of Artificial Intelligence. "The user has to enter their week's plan and it will be organised in a manner that their work doesn't pile up, leading to unnecessary stress," explains Nithika. The third feature of the app includes a notification that the users — especially those working or studying online for hours — will receive when they are sitting in one posture for too long. "The app will nudge them to change their posture, take a walk and even suggest some stretches," says Nithika.  

Nithika got the idea for the face tracking technology after a bit of research online. "I found out about a website that uses facial tracking software and I thought that that could be implemented in this app to make it effective for treatment," says Nithika. She is currently working on developing the app and is learning coding languages like Python online. When it is developed, the app will be available on Android phones. "I won a laptop, a trophy and the opportunity to work at the HCL Innovation Lab in Chennai to bring my ideas to life," says an excited Nithika.