FREN - For Life: Elevating mood by making people feel less lonely

Abstract

The mental health issues in Pakistan are a severely overlooked phenomenon. Not only due to the social stigma attached to it, but also because of the lack of interest by our community as a whole on this subject. According to the researchers it is estimated that around 24 million people in Pakistan are in need of psychiatric support. While it is also predicted that mental health issues will become the leading cause of death in the country by 2030. Among other neglected and overlooked mental health issues, there is one that most people do not even consider a problem, that is 'Loneliness'. While it has been established that loneliness is an illness and not just a perception of people, most people fail to acknowledge or accept that they suffer from it. They consider it a disgraceful thing to admit that they are lonely. In the current pandemic, one positive thing to come out of it is that the lockdown period and the quarantine phase has shed some light on how big of an issue it really is and how it leads to even serious problems, both physical and psychological. The current pandemic situation has been a challenging environment for all. While it is being advised to obey the rules of social distancing and staying away from other people, not much is being thought upon the fact that how much of a toll it has on the mental health of humans, who thrive on physical interactions with each other. The idea for solution is to come up with a product or a series of products which can help users to cater to the feeling of loneliness and elevate their mood to feel better, while doing so in a subtle manner.