Japanese Web Service Helps us Identify First Signs of Depression

It’s a stressful world we live in. A report indicated that one in every fifteen people is depressed in Japan [1]. Perhaps you have noticed a friend or a colleague showing signs of depression? Maybe it shows in a tweet or in a post on Facebook, or something they mumbles when you’re having lunch together. There’s a new website named Utsuppo (Utsu means depression in Japanese) which recently launched. It is a depression notification service.

The website is quite simple. You can enter the name and email address of a person with signs of depression. The person with symptoms of depression will be notified by email that a friend is concerned. The email comes with a general survey about depression and tips about how to get better. By answering the survey the individual finds out whether they really are depressed or not.

Utsuppo was created by U2plus, a medical community for battling depression. The founder went through depression himself in the past, leading to his current efforts to help and support people with similar problems. He sees it as essential that as a society, we not miss the first signs of depression in those around us. And this is exactly what Utsuppo aims to do.

The website was created in just a week with help of Liverty, a group of people with a mission to develop as many creative web service and projects as possible. The group is lead by a serial entrepreneur in Tokyo, Kazuma Ieiri. The whole project of Utsuppo started when the founder of U2plus pitched his idea to Mr. Ieiri, who is now an investor as well.