Millions of people in the UK are affected by mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder (BD), psychosis, depression and anxiety disorders. These conditions have significant impact on both those who experience them and their carers; impacting their employment, leisure, and relationships. The annual cost to the NHS of managing BD alone is estimated to be £2 billion, while the wider societal costs associated with the condition in the UK have been estimated at over £6.43 billion annually. Depression is the leading cause of mental health-related disease burden globally, affecting 17% of UK population. Mental health problems cost UK economy at least £118 billion a year. When service users are well and their condition is in remission, a key NICE recommendation is relapse prevention, supported by various interventions including 'Staying Well Plans'. Guided by mental health professionals, service users learn about their symptoms, notice relapse patterns and develop coping strategies. One commonly used relapse prevention method is the Early Warning Signs card-sort task. Therapists report that most service users find that the card-sorting task is engaging, normalising and useful. However, high quality administration of the card-sort is time-consuming, and developing a compelling and memorable Staying Well Plan is often led by the therapist rather than by the service user. In contrast, plans that are service user developed under light guidance of the therapist may be more meaningful and memorable to the individual, especially when delivered in an immersive setting. StayingWell uses a mixed reality (MR) environment where service users can explore and learn to self-identify signs they may be experiencing in a relapse of their mental health condition; be it BD, psychosis or depression. We have successfully delivered a feasibility study with operational software that combined MR with desktop interface, allowing service users to select symptoms that apply to them, express them in the MR headset and explore their 'relapse signatures' with the therapist. Next, guided by co-design, service users will take ownership of their Staying Well plans, which they will develop in an advanced MR interface under the guidance of a clinician. They will be able to save and edit plans at a later date, share with loved ones, and monitor symptom strength. We will carry out usability and satisfaction evaluation. Alongside working on the app, we will develop a commercialisation strategy. We will conclude the project with a publication and begin commercialising the product.

Millions of people in the UK are affected by mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder (BD), psychosis and depression. These conditions have significant impact on both those who experience them and their carers; particularly impacting their employment, leisure, and relationships. The annual cost to the NHS of managing BD alone is estimated to be £2 billion, while the wider societal costs associated with the condition in the UK have been estimated at over £6 billion annually. When service users are well and their condition is 'in remittance', a key NICE recommendation is 'relapse prevention' work, supported by various interventions including 'Staying Well Plans'. Guided by mental health professionals, service users learn about their symptoms, identifying patterns of symptoms associated with developing ill health called 'relapse signatures'. Effective coping strategies are identified to support staying well. One commonly used relapse prevention method is the Early Warning Signs (EWS) card-sort task. Therapists using card-sorting confirm that most service users find it engaging and useful. The COVID-19 restrictions prompted our team's lead researcher to digitise the task. This digital proof-of-concept enabled clinicians to effectively carry out the card-sort when delivering remote therapy. However, high quality administration of the card-sort is time-consuming, and developing a compelling and memorable Staying Well Plan is often led by the therapist rather than by the service user. These plans are often developed under significant time pressure due to service demands, and may not be optimally personal, memorable, or accessible to service users. In contrast, those that are service user-developed under light guidance of the therapist may be more individually meaningful and memorable, especially when delivered in a more immersive setting. StayingWell XR uses an immersive environment where service users can explore and learn to self-identify signs they may be experiencing a relapse of their mental health condition; be it BD, psychosis or depression. Our feasibility study will deliver a wearable Virtual Reality (VR) software allowing service users to explore their 'relapse signatures' and coping strategies with and without a therapist. They will be able to take appropriate action to avert a potentially damaging episode, and anonymously share their experiences with others in a similar situation. We will write a feasibility report evaluating the app's usability, situating it in the larger competitive landscape of mental health products adjacent to our approach. The report will recommend further development steps for our project, including an optimal route to market.

In the UK, 79% of adults frequently experience work-related stress, which is one of the key causes of 17.9 million working days lost each year, costing UK employers up to £45 billion. Easel, is a stress-relieving Virtual Reality (VR) application for employees working in high-stress environments. The app applies scientific findings with cutting-edge, yet easily available technology, to creatively address workplace stress with a compelling mental well-being product. Easel reduces stress by transporting the player to a distant, safe, underwater world where they can foster a caring relationship with an other-worldly sea creature. The player's ability to move around freely and initiate rich interactions within the calming and audiovisually enchanting world provides a soothing sense of control. The player uses gaze and hand gestures to navigate the ocean, and interacts with their sea-animal companion in a variety of ways, including feeding, playing, and cleaning up their environment. At the start and end of each session the player self-reports their well-being rating, developing their profile over time. Our product is based on scientific research in stress- and pain-relief through nurturing animals and how VR can facilitate it. Interacting with an animal in VR has been documented as hugely beneficial, even surpassing the effectiveness of morphine for pain reduction. Despite the promising results of medical prototypes in clinical settings, almost none are commercially available. In the absence of evidence-based and accessible solutions on the market, we want to create a cutting-edge, compelling solution for large enterprises to start with, next offer it to public sector institutions and eventually roll it out to individual customers. The project will deliver three main outputs: 1. A detailed market assessment. 2. A beta version of the Easel VR app. 3. A white paper evaluating the app's effectiveness.