BfB Labs, a leader in video game-based digital therapies, has launched a new mobile game for paediatric anxiety in children aged 7-12 years.
The app is being made available through NHS children and young people’s mental health services, schools, and local authorities, particularly in response to support an increase in anxiety levels.
It has been created with NHS clinicians, parents, teachers and universities and has been funded by NHS England via the NHS Improvement’s SBRI Healthcare programme.
The company has now received regulatory approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for Lumi Nova, its first mobile game for anxiety for young people.
The app aims to revolutionise mental health interventions for children helping them to overcome anxiety using evidence-based immersive therapy.
In a small-scale pilot conducted in March 2020, the app demonstrated high levels of safety and its use in providing a cost-effective way to treat the symptoms of anxiety in real-world settings.
Dr Claire Hill, Clinical Psychologist & Postdoctoral Researcher at The University of Reading, said: “We must act urgently to mobilise evidence-based interventions to tackle anxiety in our most vulnerable children and young people at this extraordinary time of crisis and particularly now that schools have reopened.”
“Untreated anxiety can lead to depression, self-harm, and other life-long consequences. Lumi Nova is an engaging game that has demonstrated safety and is an important exemplar as the first MHRA approved mobile game for paediatric anxiety that gamifies exposure – the key component of CBT, the gold standard for treating anxiety – and should be considered for implementation by schools, local authorities and in routine clinical care.”
Manjul Rathee, CEO of BfB Labs “At BfB Labs, we are committed to building future mental healthcare for children today with evidence-based interventions that are not only accessible and affordable but also treat conditions in an entirely new and engaging way.”
“During this time of urgent need for digital mental health solutions that can respond to soaring demand, we are extremely proud to enable NHS Integrated Care Systems and Clinical Commissioning Groups, schools, and local authorities to provide Lumi Nova – a safe, flexible, and cost-effective solution.”
