Could the notOK app help you in a mental health crisis?
The app is simple to use. The user just downloads it and signs up. Then they designate up to five trusted contacts. These contacts, who could be friends, family members, or counselors, receive a text allowing them to either accept or decline the responsibility. If the user needs to ask for help, he or she just pushes the red notOK button and their trusted contacts are notified. The app notifies the user that help is on the way. Then the trusted contact can either text, call, or arrive in person using the GPS location the app supplies. Once the crisis is over, the user can press the green OK button to let all trusted contacts know they are alright.
Panic buttons for the elderly and people with severe medical conditions are commonplace, but a panic button for mental health crises is a new idea. As understanding of mental illness grows, we may begin seeing similar apps crop up. What do you think? Can you see yourself or someone you know benefitting from the notOK app?