Xperience 2026 Mental Health Monitoring

Overview

At our highly anticipated 2024 Xplore event, we are thrilled to offer a glimpse into the future of health as we unveil one of our competition targets for our upcoming 2026 competition track: Mental Health Monitoring.

This groundbreaking competition will call upon student teams to embark on a journey to tackle this challenge by harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology developed at the University of Maryland and utilizing some of the latest AI technologies. The mission is clear – to create an innovative app that monitors and actively improves mental health, drawing upon hardware-based observations and digital inputs.

In a post-pandemic world where the importance of mental well-being has never been greater, this competition promises to be a catalyst for positive change, empowering students to impact the lives of individuals and communities profoundly.

With the fusion of technology and compassion, our Mental Health Monitoring competition is poised to revolutionize how we understand and care for mental health, bringing hope and support to those who need it most. Join us in shaping a future where technology becomes a beacon of mental wellness, and together, let's Xplore the frontiers of human well-being.

Domain

Health

Topic

Mental Health Monitoring

The challenge

Create a mental health app with or without attached hardware for people between 18 and 29

Solution

goals

This challenge offers students a distinctive opportunity to drive healthcare innovation, lower costs, and cater to a lucrative market, while standing at the forefront of transforming healthcare delivery for all Americans.

Must monitor overall mental health without diagnosing specific conditions
Allow communication of scored mental health reports to psychiatrists if authorized by the patient
Offer in-app pathways to improve mental health
Track the state and progress of the user

Resources

available

Xperience teams would leverage these resources and tools to enhance their problem-solving journey as they develop impactful solutions for mental health monitoring. These resources facilitate solution development, allowing students to analyze, prototype, and collaborate effectively.

UMD mental health monitoring technology

Market

information

Evolution and functionality
Health apps have evolved from self-monitoring tools to sensor-based measuring devices to prescribable apps for managing conditions like mental health issues. However, despite the numerous health apps on the market, only a few have been rigorously tested using randomized trials, indicating a need for efficacy assessment and quality control in this domain.
Privacy concerns
Privacy issues are a major concern in the mental health app market. Many apps request access to sensitive data on users' devices, and a significant proportion lack a privacy policy to inform users about data collection and sharing practices.
Clinical validation and effectiveness
A systematic review revealed that while there are many mobile apps for monitoring and management of mental health symptoms or disorders, the majority lack clinically validated evidence of their efficacy.
Potential for continuous monitoring
Apps and wearables offer the potential for continuous monitoring of mental health indicators, which can augment clinical care for common mental disorders.
User experiences and expectations
Users of mental health apps value tools that are engaging, easy to use, and technically functional. However, there is a notable decrease in app usage after initial milestones are met, indicating challenges in maintaining long-term user engagement.
Effectiveness in improving mental health outcomes
Engagement with self-monitoring mental health apps has been found to predict decreases in depression and anxiety, and increases in mental well-being, especially among clinically depressed or anxious users.

2026 Xperience Competition:

Mental Health Monitoring

Domain

Topic

The challenge