“61% of Americans don’t have someone to talk to when they need to get something off their chest” You may not need clinical intervention or therapy, but we all need someone to talk to. As a subclinical approach to mental health, Dr. Birnbaum and Adam dive into the mission behind the HearMe app as a peer-support app and what the app has to offer. They discuss the topic of connection and support in relation to social media and how social media use can be problematic for mental health. Then, they describe the environment of the HearMe app and how it differs from the potential negativity in bigger social media platforms, as well as describe the efforts HearMe is taking to create a safer space for individuals to be vulnerable, feel heard, and be seen. Learn why HearMe is for you and how you can start your process!
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3:36 – How was HearMe founded
4:52 – Do you need therapy or just someone to talk to?
6:12 – Are we lacking connection and support on social media platforms?
8:42 – Social media use and mental health
10:33 – Signs that social media is becoming problematic
14:17 – How does the HearMe allow trust and vulnerability?
16;21 – How are people interacting on the HearMe app
18:01 – “50% increase in mood after a single conversation with a HearMe listener”
21:48 – Resources to get clinical help when on Hearme app
23:08 – How hear me seek support earlier & delaying the onset of psychiatric disorders
25:45 – The demographic on the HearMe app
26:44 – Hear me training academies for hear me peer, support listeners,
28:26 – Starting the HearMe process
29:51 – Resources to learn more about HearMe and mental health
Adam Lippin is an entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of HearMe, and the Co-founder and CEO of Cuddlist. He has 30+ years of business experience identifying and executing in niche markets and extensive experiential and operational expertise. He was previously the CEO & Founder of Atomic Wings (32 restaurants), with a successful exit in 2017
Dr. Birnbaum is the Chief Medical Officer at HearMe app. He is an attending physician in the Department of Psychiatry at The Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York. He works as the Program Director for Northwell Health’s Early Treatment Program (ETP), a clinical and research initiative for adolescents and young adults in the early stages of psychosis. Dr. Birnbaum received his BS in Psychology and Doctor of Medicine from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He then went on to complete his Child and Adolescent psychiatry fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai West. Dr. Birnbaum’s research has focused primarily on psychotic disorders with an emphasis on the early stages of illness. He is currently exploring the role of social media and the internet in pathways to care for adolescents and young adults with psychotic disorders. Additionally, Dr. Birnbaum is exploring the utility of social media and the internet as a vehicle for timely identification, outreach, engagement and care of youth with mental illness.
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