An app that allows teens battling mental health issues to send an alert to a personalised support crew is set to launch.

Wellington firm Melon Health, formerly Social Code, has designed and developed Code Blue to encourage youth struggling with bullying, anxiety or depression to reach out in their time of need.

The app has been years in the making. It was put on the backburner for about three years due to lack of funding and interest.

Users tap a “Code Blue” button on the screen, which immediately sends an alert to pre-selected supporters. They can be anyone from a counsellor, to a parent, or a best friend. From there, supporters can respond with a text, a call, or by visiting.

Melon Health founder Siobhan Bulfin​ said inspiration for the Code Blue app came from two mothers who contacted her after using the company’s quit smoking app, which allows people experiencing a nicotine craving to push a panic button to get support.

They reached out to Bulfin to see if there was something similar for teenagers struggling with depression, or getting bullied at school, she said.

“So that was really the catalyst for thinking we should do it.”

Bulfin believed mental illness resonated with everyone because it was “such a horrible thing for people to deal with”, but she hoped the app could help.

– Chloe Winter

Read more: ‘Panic Button’ Mental Health App Released

Image by Marvin Meyer from Unsplash