Presentation: Find Your Smile- An App That Helps Fight Depression *REVISON*

FIND YOUR SMILE

It’s been said that “laughter is the best form of medicine” and I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment; which is why the concept of my final is an app called Find Your Smile, a humor app used to combat the start of a depressive episode with comedy and laughter. Studies have suggested that laughter positively affects our mental health by reducing stress hormones and releasing dopamine into the brain. When first using the app, the user would be asked to describe their sense of humor; based on the response, the app will try its best to recommend the appropriate jokes, videos, memes, and forums for their enjoyment. Find Your Smile would pick up on a person’s demeanor and once it notices a drastic change within a few days, the app would spring into action by spamming your device with humorous suggestions. Find Your Smile would also allow users to meet and connect with others that could be experiencing the same issues, insecurities, or hardships as the user- who knows, that user could be that support system that other person needed at the time.  And if the user felt as if their episode was getting worse, then they would be able to chat anonymously with someone experienced in the mental health field for counseling, advice, or just to let everything out, via the app at any time. Should the app notice that there still has not been any improvement in mood, a notification- either text, phone call, email, or all three, will be sent to personal contacts (even if the app is not installed on their phone) that the user communicates with frequently to notify them of the user’s drastic change in behavior and will continue to update those contacts as the app continues to track the user’s mood and demeanor. Upon knowing the user’s state of mind, the app can not be deleted if it believes that the user has fallen further into depression, as a safety measure.  The app functions as a pal network that lends a hand to people that are manifesting and increasing the severity of depression symptoms by helping that person laugh more often or connect to crisis intervention or psych treatment. After all, if apps can measure vital signs then an app should be allowed to track and monitor behavior and activity.

Since the height of COVID-19 there has been a surge of substance abuse and as of September 2020 depression rates have tripled and although there is no evidence of suicide rates spiking during the pandemic, suicide idealization did rise according to an August 2020 article on healthline.com. As the virus continues to plague society, it is expected that mental health issues including depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, and possibly suicide will continue to rise.  An app like Find Your Smile is a small intervention for those negative thoughts and feelings and helps users discover laughter as a coping mechanism during their depressive episodes and perhaps give users a newfound strength they didn’t have before.  The app also allows for communication amongst all users in a positive and supportive manner, twenty-four-hour availability to speak with a mental health specialist anonymously,  and a notification feature to inform those who are frequently in contact with the user to check on them and intervene before its too late, without those contacts having to download the app.

For those prone to major depressive episodes, an app like this would benefit them greatly as laughter causes changes to the brain. The idea of the app also may seem like an invasion of privacy but if it can help change someone’s mood or even save their life then it may be worth the lack of privacy. 

Although, there is no cure for depression, the goal is to put a smile back on people’s faces and to ensure that their tears are from laughter and not sadness. As the great philosopher Blues Traveler said, “A pocket is no place for a smile anyway…” 

Vanessa Nimons