New mental health app launched

[Posted: Thu 10/06/2010 www.irishhealth.com]

HeadsUp, Rehab’s mental health promotion project, has today launched a new online application – "Mates’ Mood" – that enables people to get a sense of their friends’ moods.

The initiative was announced as the State’s examinations get underway. Statistics indicate that almost 11,300 people have texted the HeadsUp Text service since its launch in August 2007.

The online application is funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention’s “Let Someone Know” campaign.
 
The Mates’ Mood application is available at www.headsup.ie/matesmood.php or on HeadsUp’s Facebook page.

Friends are presented as little figures with a scale of eight moods, from "Miserable" to "Awesome".

The application also provides a history of friends’ moods over a period of time and comments can be added explaining a particular mood. It can be published to a person’s Facebook wall and friends invited to use the application.
 
Collette Ryan is the Project Manager for HeadsUp, said: “We are now entering what can be a very stressful, lonely and individually-challenging time for many young people across the country as they embark on their Leaving and Junior Certificate examinations.

"By developing Mates’ Mood, we believe we have a communication tool which we feel is creative and supportive and which capitalises on the popularity of social networking sites."