A Startup That Wants to Cure Social Anxiety | Hacker News Reader

A Startup That Wants to Cure Social Anxiety

theatlantic.com

23 pointsmxhold16 comments

I thought it odd to require a 30 minute call with a coach as the first step. Wouldn't that discourage potential users, who might be anxious about a phone call with a stranger to discuss these very personal issues?

Joyable co-founder Steve Marks here. Great question. We don't actually require the call -- it's optional. Our clients who do complete the call often cite it as one of the most important parts of the program, but we have successful clients who opt out as well.

You may want to update your FAQ to reflect that. As of now, it reads as if it's required. At least, that was my interpretation.

"Can I use Joyable without a coach?

All clients are assigned a coach and have a kick-off call ."

Great point. Really helpful feedback. We will fix that.

We used to require calls (despite the irony of kicking off a social anxiety program with a call) because of how instrumental our early clients told us calls were. We have since learned that although many clients find the call key to their success, others can be successful without a call.

Hi Steve! I was just wondering if Joyable's costs would be something that would be coverable by health insurance?

Not yet, but we aspire for them to be covered in the future. Thanks for asking.

The app is Joyable: https://joyable.com/

And it's $99 a month.

And it requires a credit card for a trial. What a load of bullshit.

Try the "Take the Quiz" button on the front page. After you make it through 15 questions an email field pops up. No email - no results.

That blew me away. Cheaper than a therapist, I guess.

In the U.K., there is a version of online CBT for depression called Beating the Blues, which became popular despite only being available by prescription. “They would write you out a prescription with a web address and access code, and you’d be able to access that...”

Is there any clinical reason for doing such a thing?

I'm not sure what you mean by "clinical" in this context, but I don't think the prescription thing was a charade to add some extra placebo effect. Rather, it was probably because once you start claiming to treat depression, you are regulated like a prescription drug.

Sorry, what I meant was: Is there any harm in allowing just anyone to access the website? I don't understand the need for a prescription restriction.

Available without prescription.

https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

Learn cognitive behaviour therapy skills for preventing and coping with depression New MoodGYM coming soon! Login to MoodGYM

In case it's not clear from the context, you don't need a prescription for Joyable either.

MoodGYM is a terrific alternative with a somewhat different focus. If you're not sure which is for you, I recommend you try both for free (MoodGYM is free and we have a 7-day free trial). Here are a few major differences:

(1) We give you a personal coach. Our clients say their coaches are key to their success, since one of the challenges of CBT is finishing it.

(2) We are specifically focused on social anxiety and tailored to be most effective for people with social anxiety.

(3) Our program is optimized for mobile devices.

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