As COVID-19 persists into 2021, the global state of mental health continues to degrade at record pace. In light of newfound challenges related to social isolation, financial hardships, and mounting health-related concerns, even those living without a diagnosis are being exposed to the highest reported levels of depression and anxiety in history.
The pandemic has left a majority of mental health providers unable to adapt to the digital landscape and meet rising demand. “COVID-19 has interrupted essential mental health services around the world just when they’re needed most,” commented Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
While many providers are struggling to keep up, one U.S.-based company has attracted international acclaim for its innovative, user-friendly approach: Rather than appointments or pills, Cope Notes uses daily text messages to interrupt negative thought patterns in real time, training the brain to form new neural pathways and think in healthier thought patterns instead.
Launched in 2018 by suicide/abuse survivor and heavy metal musician Johnny Crowder, the platform has seen unprecedented growth in recent months, amassing users in nearly 100 countries worldwide. The founder’s moving TEDx Talk sheds light on how his own experiences with mental illness inspired him to create the peer support resource that could have helped him through his darkest days.
“Even the healthiest brains need support,” Crowder told Grit Daily News. “That’s how they get healthy and stay that way. It’s not just for people living with a diagnosis or going through a rough patch. Mental health is an ‘everybody’ thing.”
In less than 3 years, Cope Notes has exchanged more than ½ million anonymous text messages with thousands of users worldwide. Their recent contracts with governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations have provided reliable, consistent, quality support in an era when most mental health programming has been upended by the pandemic.
Whether it contains a psychology fact, an exercise, a journaling prompt, or a thought-provoking question, every Cope Notes text is written by peers with lived experience overcoming illness, hardship, trauma, or loss. Then, it’s reviewed by a panel of mental health professionals before being delivered at random times throughout the day.
“Whether you want to admit it or not, no one has had an easy year,” Crowder empathized with CNN World. “All of us have felt stressed, worried, afraid, or even angry. If we don’t start coping with these feelings in a healthy way, our symptoms will persist long after the pandemic has subsided.”
While Cope Notes offers individual and enterprise options, their popular gift subscription allows people to provide support for loved ones experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, or loneliness due to the pandemic. In a similar vein, their family plan encourages parents to make mental health a central talking point within the home.
“Yes, I want you to share it with the people you love,” Crowder explained. “But whoever you are, if you’re reading this, I made Cope Notes for you.”
Learn more about Cope Notes here.