Wellknowlogy: 11/11/22

Wellknowlogy is a curious, honest, and caring source of weekly news & thoughts on innovations in the wellness industry; an efficient way for providers, technologists, investors, and enthusiasts to stay in sync and informed about endeavors to increase wellbeing. For more context surrounding Wellknowlogy, the motives behind it, and its purpose, check out Why Wellknowlogy. For filtered information concerning your particular venture, reach out to [email protected]

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Question: to what extent do you identify with your mental health diagnosis?

For some people, receiving a mental health diagnosis significantly impacts their conception of themselves on an identity level, constituting an I am. 

For others, it's much less impactful, serving as an I have.

The third tier that I'm aware of is the least personal of the three. Rather than a diagnosis being something that you are or you have, it's a tool for communication. My diagnosis is a communication tool to help people understand how my brain works.

I think this distinction is interesting as diagnoses can be heavy. Carrying around a label, especially when it could be considered a disability or condition, can impact your conception of self in a significant way. 

Treating a diagnosis as a communicational tool? Completely different story. When this is the case, the diagnosis is less of a label and more of a tool. It's a half-baked thought for now, but I think it's worth considering as mental health becomes more prevalent, openly discussed, and central to the health and wellness ecosystem.

With that out of the way, here's what happened last week:

Neat Articles

• Why clearer regulation is needed on mental health apps

• TikTok promotes toxic diet culture among teens, young adults

• Magic mushroom' treatment for depression inches closer to approval

• American Psychological Association blames TikTok for surge in mental health misdiagnoses

• 75% of digital health founders say investors have high expectations

• Gympass' state of work-life wellness report reveals employee stress at an all-time high, with personal wellbeing a top priority for the workforce

• Brain health-directed policymaking: A new concept to strengthen democracy

• Why company benefits should be audaciously individualized instead of one-size-fits-all

Market News

• Molina Healthcare of California partners with BeMe Health to offer mental health support app for teen members

• Naomi Osaka, Hyperice and Modern Health unite to improve mental wellness

• Ad Council announces $65M multi-year mental health initiative

• FIFA collaborates with Calm to bring mental wellness tools to players, workforce and fans

Fundings

• Forsea raises $5.2M towards cultivated seafood expansion

• D2C startup The Sleep Company raises $21.3M in a round led by Premji

• Valera Health Secures $45M to increase mental health access for high acuity patients

• Healios lands $16M investment to grow US pediatric behavioral health subsidiary Meliora Health

• Digital mental health platform Healios raises £14M

• OxiWear raised a seed round for continuous oxygen monitoring

• Swap Health raised a seed round for its Food-as-Medecine software

• Proper Good raises $3.5M in seed funding

• Revero announces $5M in seed funding to reverse chronic diseases

• Finnish baby tech Nucu secures €950K from Voima Ventures

• Sensorium Therapeutics closes $30M Series A for nature-inspired psychoactive medicines

• Exer raised $6.5M for its digital musculoskeletal platform

• Tiny Health raises $4.5m funding for gut health testing

• Swap Health launches out of stealth with investment from 25M health, partnership with university of florida Leva $3.5M for chronic pain management platform

• WellIn5 closes $2M oversubscribed seed funding round to accelerate its growth and global expansion

• MYNDUP secures £4.4M Series A investment from angel investors

• Wesper raises $7.5M in Series A Funding for its sleep health platform

New funds:

• Fund for Reproductive and Maternal Health equity startups raises capital

Tidbits for You and Yours

• Omega-3 fatty acids: why you want them

• Does yoga really stimulate the vagus nerve? Here’s what the science says

• Why The Rock's social media muscle made him Hollywood's highest-paid actor

Closing Kernel of Wisdom

• This is a great talk on making friends with the feral child inside of you, as discussed under the framework of the Jungian shadow. Be warned, this interview is slightly more than a kernel...

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Wishing you a great week to come.

Warmly,

Dayton