Digital mental health services provide low-threshold support for Finns

Mental Hub is a low-threshold online therapy programme that gives information, support and treatment on mental health and psychological wellbeing. The service provides children, teens and adults support that is tailored especially for their needs.

Anyone can face a situation in life where they or someone close to them needs support for their mental wellbeing. In fact, in Finland, where Health Hubs operate, 20 per cent of people suffer from some mental health deviation during their life. Mental Hub’s aim is to attract a million Finnish users.

— Digital service saves time and is discreet, reliable and accessible from everywhere, says Marko Muukka, a Mental Hub project manager at HUS (The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa in Finland).

Online health service gives better information on symptoms than random ‘googling’

The service also provides support in assessing the severity of symptoms and can propose suitable service providers for further help. With a doctor’s referral, Mental Hub provide computer assisted therapies over the internet.

Mental Hub provides reliable information and support for patients, their families and friends as well as professionals seeking further information. These services are developed by health professionals, so they are a more reliable source than online search engines.

Online therapies are unique in Finland. So is the ‘toolkit’ for professionals. The ’toolkit’ is a section in the hub, that provides e-tools for practitioners about mental health and substance abuse. These tools include such titles as a ‘Measuring Bank’ and a ‘Psychotherapy portal’.

Early access to help leads to faster recovery

Mental Hub’s goal is that as many people as possible get treatment in an early stage, so that the problems wouldn’t prolong and there wouldn’t be any further complications. Online therapies have been developed and researched thoroughly. The results show that they are a very efficient form of treatment.

— In the bigger picture in Finland, we want to make the digital mental health service an important part of the health service process nationally, says Jan-Henry Stenberg from HUS. HUS offers national services that are free of charge for users.

Thirteen hubs operate all over Finland, including a weight management Hub and a pain release Hub. HUS has developed the services for seven years in collaboration with a range of service providers. Especially Mental Hub has a lot of export potential and is currently undergoing market research and benchmarking. The service was first developed for at the Helsinki Region and has been scaled nationwide in Finland. So the producers have experience in scaling the service.

Watch the presentation video of Mental Hub (in English)