New app developed to track mental fitness

Health tech firm Arkeo has launched a new app which allows users to improve their mental health by tracking everyday behaviours and challenges.

MyArkeo is an app designed to help people navigate difficult times in their life and help them become as mentally fit as possible.

Along with a daily mental fitness score and a “lightbulb moment” that finds the link between behaviours and challenges, the app connects the users in need with NHS sites for further support and diagnostic.

Jana Dowling, creator and CEO of Arkeo, wanted to help people improve their mental wellbeing following her own experience with severe depression. She started by monitoring everything she did, building a tracking system and using the data gathered to help her make decisions she couldn’t always trust her instincts to make.

“I built Arkeo originally to help myself but I discovered that a lot more people needed a tool like this too,” says Jana. “Mental ill health is the single largest cause of disability in the UK, contributing up to 22.8 per cent of the total burden, compared to 15.9 per cent for cancer and 16.2 per cent for cardiovascular disease.

“Now, after almost two really tough years with Covid-19, the need for mental health vigilance has become even more evident,” she adds. “Today, more than ever, we need to be both mentally and physically fit.”

Jana believes that prioritising our well-being along with building mental strength are essential in the recovery  process.

“It’s not about abstaining completely from things we know aren’t good for us or changing how we live or who we are – it’s just about having a clear and simple understanding of our behaviours and putting us in the driving seat when it comes to making informed decisions about our mental health,” Jana explains.

“We don’t think twice about reaching for Instagram or checking our fitness tracker because they’re an integral part of many people’s lives. We’re aiming to make Arkeo just as indispensable for anyone who cares about managing their mental fitness.”

After struggling with finding the right funds during the pandemic, Jana managed to secure enough money to get the app on the market.

“I genuinely built this because it helped me and I was in a tough spot, I hope it can help others in the same way,” Jana adds.

MyArkeo is available now in App Store and Google Play.