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Sushil Eapen is the Founder and CEO of Silver Oak Health. Formerly, he was the Country Manager (India) of Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment, a global publisher of psychological assessments and interventions. He was instrumental in establishing Pearson's Clinical Assessment business in India. At Pearson, Sushil led a team of Sales, Marketing, Product Development, Information Technology and Customer Relationship Managers. He is passionate about the delivery of mental health services using digital technology. He is networked with a large number of mental health professionals in India and abroad. Sushil is also the Founder and Managing Director of Vega, an assessment solutions firm in Bangalore. He earned an MS from Kansas State University and received an MBA in Marketing from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA.
ET: What is the current state of mental health services in India versus those available in other developed countries?
SE: According to the National Mental Health Survey conducted in 2015-2016, every sixth Indian needs mental health assistance. Mental health problems are more in the age group of people between 30 and 49 years and particularly acute in urban areas of the country. In a country where suicides have just been decriminalised recently, we have a long way to go in bringing about awareness of the importance of mental health, the different modalities of support available to take adequate steps in preventing stress and learning to offer adequate support to people with stress related challenges.
ET: What are the challenges in addressing the growing mental health concerns amongst professionals today?
SE: The challenge with working with professionals is that their work life is so hectic that they are unable to set aside time for themselves. This is also coupled with a lack of understanding about the importance of mental health and the role it plays in living more meaningful and purposeful lives. The stigma on people who seek help of a psychologist to deal with such issues, the dearth of trained psychologists, the travel time and cost of seeing a therapist in his/her clinic are also challenges that need to be considered before a program of mental health is introduced to professionals.
ET: Technology has been one of the major reasons for increasing stress levels. How have therapists leveraged technology/internet/social media to address stress?
SE: Most therapy traditionally happens face to face and in India most people believe that this is the only way it should be done. However with the advent of the internet, therapists now find video sessions over Skype to be equally effective as face to face. The dearth of mental health services around the country makes online counselling the only option for some parts of the country. Several online courses are available today to develop coping skills, learn psychological concepts and focus on personal growth giving people many avenues to access support from.
ET: What are the various opportunities or steps that stakeholders in the healthcare sector can undertake to address stress related concerns in India?
SE: The major players in the health sector aim to make people aware of mental health and the importance of it by educating them through global campaigns on social media. They also aim at making psychotherapeutic services available in areas that are not traditionally associated with mental health like corporate offices and schools. They play a major role in increasing awareness of mental health, de-stigmatising and empowering a whole population of people affected by mental health issues.
ET: Can you please tell us about your company, Silver Oak Health, in particular, the online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) solution?
SE: Silver Oak Health is based in Bangalore and uses intellectual property from best known Clinical Psychologists and research institutions around the world to develop digital solutions in India, and provides affordable solutions to customers worldwide. In August 2016, the company launched its first online solution for solving stress related challenges among people using cognitive behavioural therapy. The product is launched under the brand name Stress Control Online (www.Stresscontrolonline.com) The company also launched an online Health related Quality of Life assessment to collect physical functioning, emotional wellness and social functioning scores of people in India through the site www.silveroakqol.org. Over 6,000 people from across India have since taken this assessment, and the company is developing algorithms to predict stress in people's lives. Chronic stress leads to health and behavioural problems, and early detection will help people make lifestyle changes, as well as reduce healthcare costs.
In 2017, Silver Oak Health launched a comprehensive Employee Wellbeing and Assistance Program (EWAP) for helping corporate customers. This round the year program offers employees phone counselling, Stress Control Online, and mindfulness workshops. Several large corporations are using various Silver Oak's EWAP services for their employees in India. Silver Oak Health is also working with Insurance companies to offer its solutions to corporate customers.
In August 2017, Silver Oak Health launched a Mindfulness App called Tranquil, India's first Mindfulness App to help people all over the world practice Mindfulness and manage stress in their lives. Mindfulness is a popular stress management strategy around the world and there is scientific evidence to indicate its efficacy as a strategy for improving coping skills.
The company is marketing its Resilience and Mindfulness based employee wellbeing and assistance programs to corporate customers. Most companies are reporting higher employee engagement with these programs thus making better return for investment.
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