NCCR-Synapsy

The Synaptic Bases of Mental Diseases

covidout.ch: maintaining mental health and developing coping skills

The objective of this new web app, designed by caregivers and researchers, is to help people with temporary/reactional or chronic psychological suffering to find coping strategies to better cope with the crisis in the broadest sense: health, containment, de-confinement, post-confinement, societal and economic uncertainties, adaptations needed in the medium and long term.

Videos and concrete advice are presented around key themes, individual follow-up is offered with a personalised information and adaptation training programme. The user can, if he or she wishes, measure the evolution of his or her mood and emotions on a daily basis. Individualized information and training content is offered according to the user’s profile. He can contribute to research by participating in studies aimed at better understanding the mechanisms of adaptation to crisis.

Covid-out is a free tool, the result of Franco-Swiss scientific cooperation. covidout.ch (and its French counterpart covidout.fr) welcomes contributions from doctors, health professionals and specialists. The app covers a deliberately broad and evolving spectrum of areas of expertise: sleep, nutrition, breathing, sexuality, stress and conflict management, social ties, use of social networks, psychology, occupational therapy, health gestures, time organisation, specific mental disorders. Training programs are also offered: sports activities, meditation, art therapy, etc.

The application was developed with a team led by Prof. Luc Mallet (Institute of Global Health and Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, University of Geneva): 5 scientific designers, 30 experts who contributed voluntarily to the contents, 70 videos, 3 development/design companies, and the support of the Adaptation Institute, the Swiss Foundation FondaMental, the Foundation Campus Biotech Geneva and the French Congress of Psychiatry.

The tool has been designed to be adapted according to the evolution of the situation: new contributors will enrich the content, areas of expertise will be completed, new functionalities (i.e. forum) will be developed to increase interactivity.

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