Around the world, health systems are struggling under the weight of rising demand. Mental health services are among the hardest hit. The combination of pandemic recovery, geopolitical instability, and economic hardship has accelerated a long-term trend of rising demand for mental health care. While we have made great strides in preventive care for physical health conditions such as heart disease, mental health care still remains largely reactive and focused on managing people only when they reach a crisis.
Over two decades ago, I started my career as a psychiatrist in the NHS, where I witnessed the relentless strain on mental health services. Our team worked tirelessly, but waiting lists got longer and longer. By the time patients reached our clinic, their initial concerns had often escalated into complex crises. Careers, relationships and overall quality of life were often impacted, making recovery even harder. This growing pressure and my personal experience of losing two friends to suicide while they waited for treatment convinced me that the system needed a profound change.
I was convinced that the answer lay in digital technology. Evidence-based digital tools could bridge gaps in care, offering scalable, accessible support to those in need. Importantly, they could also help people manage their mental health before reaching a crisis. Over the years, it has become clear that a hybrid care model—combining digital solutions with human clinicians—does indeed offer the best path to meeting the rising demand for mental health support.
The Limitations of a Therapy-First Model
Despite the growing demand for mental health care, much of the system remains reactive and focused on crisis intervention. In physical health, we’ve extended care into prevention—screening for risk factors to reduce the incidence of acute disease. Yet the mental health care offered by employers and healthcare systems continues to rely heavily on therapy focused on those with a diagnosed mental disorder, rather than on effective prevention.
98 percent of large employers offer their employees mental health benefits, yet 68 percent of employees say they don’t use their benefits because they find them too cumbersome and confusing to navigate. I believe this is largely due to the complexity of care pathways and the fact that they usually lead to therapy and medication, whilst research shows that over 70 percent of people would prefer to manage their mental health independently. Yet many health systems and workplace programmes seem designed to draw people into therapy or medication.
The Way Forward: A Hybrid Model
To address mental health demand effectively, we must shift from a reactive, therapy-centric system to one that emphasises prevention and early intervention. A hybrid model of care—combining digital tools with human clinicians—offers a scalable, personalised, and cost-effective solution. Digital technologies can serve as a first point of contact, helping individuals manage their mental health early before their issues escalate into crises.
For example, digital platforms can help people track their mental health, and provide personalised self-care tools and guided exercises, empowering individuals to take control of their own mental health. These tools are particularly valuable for the majority of people who do not need or want therapy. They allow individuals to build resilience and cope with everyday stressors with personalised and tailored support. Furthermore, digital platforms can facilitate a smooth transition to clinical treatment for those people that do require and do want more intensive care.
The Role of Employers and Health Systems
Employers and health systems have a pivotal role to play in this transformation. The link between mental health and workplace productivity is clear: poor mental health leads to absenteeism, reduced performance, and higher turnover. Yet, many workplace mental health programmes remain narrowly focused on crisis intervention, offering therapy as the primary solution. This approach must evolve.
Businesses must provide a broader range of mental health services, from preventive digital tools to flexible, personalised treatment options. Equally important is reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. Employers can normalise mental health care through regular check-ins, open conversations, and easy access to preventive resources. Health systems, too, must embrace this shift, prioritising early intervention in addition to supporting crisis management.
Conclusion: A Hybrid Future for Mental Health Care
The future of mental health care lies in a hybrid model that takes mental health care beyond therapy, combining clinicians’ care and expertise with the accessibility and scalability of digital tools. This approach allows for proactive, preventive care that addresses the full continuum of mental health needs, from everyday stress management to crisis intervention. By embracing digital solutions, we can alleviate the burden on overworked mental health professionals and offer people the support they need across the full continuum of mental health.
Ultimately, this shift is not just about improving mental health care. It is about unlocking human potential, reducing the economic burden of untreated mental health issues, and creating a society where mental health is prioritised as much as physical health. The time for this transformation is now, and it begins with reimagining mental health care: proactive, personalised and evidence-based.
Oliver Harrison
CEO and Founder at Koa Health, Dr. Oliver Harrison qualified as a medical doctor (Cambridge) and practiced for six years with postgraduate training in both psychiatry (London) and public health (Johns Hopkins). Pivoting to digital health, Oliver spent five years in McKinsey Health Tech practice, working on health data and tech projects worldwide. Oliver serves on the WHO Roster of Experts for Digital Health, the Expert Panel for implementing the Wellcome Trust's mental health strategy, the Board of Guy's and St Thomas's (the largest hospital in the British NHS), and the Board of EMPOWER (a Harvard initiative for training mental health practitioners).
