Co-Creating Mental Health Solutions
Mental health matters—everywhere, for everyone. More than a billion people live with mental health conditions, and access to care remains one of the biggest challenges globally. When digital solutions are co-created by people who have lived experience and those who provide mental health support, they can have meaningful impact. As we mark World Mental Health Day, we want to highlight collaborations across sectors and disciplines that expand access by putting mental health at the center of innovation.
Scaling Design Best Practices
In 2024, the National Center for PTSD at the Department of Veterans Affairs began redesigning its flagship mental health app, PTSD Coach, using the Inclusive Design for Mental Health Guidebook and a user study of participants during moments of high stress. The redesign aimed to improve accessibility for individuals in acute distress, streamlining features and adding tools designed for emotional de-escalation and regulation to better support Veterans living with PTSD.
The National Center for PTSD is renowned for its groundbreaking research in post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic stress. As the largest provider of mental health services in the United States, the Center’s work is critical: nearly one in four Veterans who seek care through the VA health system live with PTSD. To help meet the need, they offer a suite of self-help and treatment companion apps, empowering Veterans and their families with accessible tools to manage symptoms, build resilience, and connect to care when they need it.
Meeting People Where They Are
AI can help bring mental health tools to communities around the world. iWill GITA is the world’s first controlled Generative AI mental health companion designed to serve Hindi-speaking individuals and built on Azure. In India, the number of people needing care far surpasses available treatment – as much as an 80 percent gap. Since its launch in 2024, GITA has reached over 40,000 people and is on track to scale to 100,000 by year-end, expanding access across rural and urban India with support for major Hindi dialects.
Initially, iWill provided text-based counseling services through chat. The newly launched app now supports voice interactions, enhanced safety, and generative capabilities delivering therapeutic interventions and empathic, supportive interactions informed by clinical guidelines. In the pilot of the voice-enabled experience, 500 participants from diverse socio-economic backgrounds were screened using PHQ-9 and GAD-7 for depression and anxiety, with none receiving concurrent therapy. After five sessions, 85% of participants reached typical clinical ranges, while the remaining participants showed significant improvement. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive: 458 participants said the experience felt conversational and supportive, and 42 described it as a deeply meaningful source of support.
Mental Health considerations in M365
Microsoft Teams and Outlook now include features designed with mental health in mind. In Teams, chats and channels are now combined into one simple, organized feed. This change gives people the option to choose the view that works best for them to minimize distractions. In Outlook, Copilot Coach gives real-time feedback on emails, helping people feel more confident and clear when communicating. Both features were co-created with people who experience anxiety and stress, delivering a more accessible design for everyone.
Moving Forward Together
Mental health is essential. From Veterans accessing just-in-time support, to individuals in rural India finding care through AI, to everyday tools like Teams and Outlook reducing stress at work, these examples show what’s possible when we design with empathy and inclusion at the core. By continuing to co-create solutions with those with lived experience, we can transform access, improve outcomes, and build a future where mental health is prioritized everywhere, for everyone.
