MereMinds

MereMinds Technologies is a company dedicated to delivering mental health solutions in creative and unconventional ways. Our first project is an adventure-puzzle video game that incorporates creative psycho-educational and psycho-therapeutic approaches for players to develop insights and strategies to deal with suicidal thinking & behaviors. Our Inspiration Suicidal thinking and suicidal behaviours are a major mental health issue affecting youth and young adults in Canada (and globally). Mood disorders are the leading cause of suicide. Barriers to care in Canada result in ~50% of young adults and ~80% of youth suffering from a mental health condition from receiving the support they need. There are long waitlists for publicly funded therapy. Private therapy is expensive for most of us and we are terrified of being stigmatized by seeking out professional mental health support. Therefore, the current approach of the mental health system is clearly lacking in its ability to reach out to a large percentage of people suffering from a mental health condition. By using scientific methods incorporated in a creative video game, we can break down barriers of stigma, deliver psycho-education, and teach mood regulation strategies in an enjoyable way. Our target are youth and young adults struggling with suicidal thinking & behaviours who would otherwise not receive any help. Why a Video Game? - We know that over 90% of youth and young adults play video games. - Data from 98 independent studies with 36,965 participants revealed that violent video games increase aggression and aggression-related variables and decrease prosocial outcomes; HOWEVER, prosocial video games have the opposite effects. "Anderson CA, Shibuya A, Ihori N, et al. Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in Eastern and Western countries: a meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull. 2010;136(2):151-173."