TEHRAN – The University of Tehran will hold the first startup weekend on electronic mental health from February 26 to 28, Mehr reported. The event aims to increase mental health knowledge amongst students, promote innovation culture and entrepreneurship and to improve electronic services.

The decrease in mental health services using electronic technology is one of the other goal of the event.

About 100 students from different universities will attend the event.

According to Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science website, depression, anxiety, and combinations of these two mental health disorders are prevalent around the world. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), unipolar depression was the third leading cause of disease burden in the world in 2004. 

Today, e-mental health refers to mental health services provided through the internet and related technology (including apps for smartphones). 

In recent years, Asian countries have started thinking about how to incorporate electronic mental health into their national health systems to reach the vast populations in rural areas or those in large cities who do not have access to appropriate mental health care.

SB/MQ/MG