NEW MENTAL HEALTH PLATFORM INNERWORLD RECEIVES $2M GRANT FROM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH (NIMH)

PRELIMINARY DATA SHOWS TOOLS LEAD TO REDUCTIONS IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the midst of our global mental health crisis, Innerworld has emerged as a proven effective solution to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Innerworld offers peer-to-peer support groups with expert guides trained in Cognitive Behavioral Immersiontm providing evidence-based tools during live groups in social virtual worlds. Innerworld's recent studies authored by CEO and Founder, Noah Robinson and published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and Games for Health, demonstrate that Innerworld's Cognitive Behavioral Immersion (CBI) program is linked to reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety, and is beneficial for individuals with substance use disorders.

Innerworld recently received $2M in funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to conduct a randomized control trial at the University of Southern California to continue testing the effects of CBI on depression. Robinson will serve as the Principal Investigator alongside USC's co-investigator, Dr. Iony Ezawa. Additionally, the platform received a $300k matching grant from LaunchTN, a public-private partnership that supports entrepreneurship and economic development in Robinson's home state of Tennessee. Additionally, in its recent pre-seed funding round, Innerworld secured over $1.4M in investments from renowned venture capital firms, including Valor Equity Partners, 640 Oxford, and Anorak Ventures.

"The support from the NIH comes at a pivotal time, as we grapple with soaring rates of depression and suicide," Robinson said. "While effective tools exist, they're not accessible. Innerworld's immersive, anonymous approach changes the paradigm and this trial stands to solidify our position as a trusted, scalable resource for many."

Innerworld has revolutionized the mental health space by offering unprecedented (24/7) access to peer-to-peer support groups led by guides trained in Cognitive Behavioral Immersiontm, which has been linked to depression and anxiety symptom improvement. For the first time, scalable mental health resources are available on demand in immersive, social virtual worlds where people can interact as anonymous avatars.  The use of immersive technology combined with live cognitive behavioral therapy tools have been practically applied and have yielded promising results. You can watch the trailer for Innerworld HERE and listen to user testimonials HERE.

Noah was inspired to create the platform after online communities saved his life, helping him to overcome depression and anxiety throughout the process of him coming out in his teen years. He developed Innerworld during his clinical psychology PhD research at Vanderbilt University as a second-generation protege of the creator of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dr. Aaron Beck, and spent 4 years beta testing the software with over 10k people. Innerworld was also Co-Founded by multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and mental health pioneer Jewel, who serves as the Chief Strategy Officer.

"Accessible mental health is so critical and to know the NIH supports Innerworld's work to provide a scalable solution that's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is very inspiring," said Jewel. "Innerworld's resources are available to people all around the globe and we're excited for its continued growth."

ABOUT INNERWORLD:
Innerworld Inc. addresses the critical need for more scalable mental health solutions through Cognitive Behavioral Immersiontm, a proprietary technique to deliver mental health help at scale. Their app, which is currently the #1 rated wellness app in the Meta Quest store, is available on Meta Quest, PC, Mac, iPad or iPhone. Learn more at https://inner.world.

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*Disclaimer: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCE Innerworld