"Strong through the crisis" initiative takes stock

The Hamburg-based start-up Hello Better launched the "Strong through the crisis" initiative a year ago and offers an online support program. The results confirm what associations and doctors have been warning about: the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the psyche continues to increase.

For months, health insurance companies, doctors and associations have been warning about the psychological effects of the coronavirus pandemic. They have been visible since the first lockdown at the start of 2020, with one in two sick notes now being issued due to mental health complaints. At the beginning of the pandemic, the start-up Hello Better launched an initiative entitled "Strong through the crisis" with insurance company Allianz as a partner. This includes a free online support program with information articles, coping strategies for stress and strain and an online course to reduce mental health problems. A total of 5,000 participants have already registered, but the number has tripled since fall 2020 alone, according to Hello Better.

"The coronavirus crisis has been demanding a lot from all of us for over twelve months," says Hanne Horvath, founder of Hello Better and psychologist. The aid program "is intended to offer anyone who is currently worried about their mental health a simple and free way to do something for their well-being in the long term."

Hello Better was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from Leuphana University Lüneburg and now employs 70 people. The Hamburg-based start-up currently offers ten online training courses in the areas of depression, anxiety disorders, stress and chronic pain. Some health insurance companies already cover the costs of the programs. The start-up is currently going through the process of being included in the directory of digital health applications so that its programs can be prescribed via app.