Hi there, I am Dr. Archie Defillo, Chief Medical Officer at mental health tech company Medibio, and one of the creators of the new stress tracking app LUCA, which helps identify negative stress early on to prevent mental and physical illness. My work at Medibio involves LUCA and also advancing the knowledge between heart rate variability and autonomic modulation as it relates to mental health.

I am also here to encourage you to participate in World Mental Health Day and help raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. Ask me anything!

Here is my image proof https://imgur.com/a/VXf5oYT

1:00 pm CST. I thank you all for your connecting with me. Enjoy your Sunday and let's all keep the conversation going about mental health issues.

📷

Comments: 73 • Responses: 9  • Date: 

ItsOhWell30 karma

I've suffered from stress/depression/anxiety for my entire life. The only thing(s) that seem to work are benzodiazapenes and SSRI's.

Do you believe there is an alternative to pharmacological treatment for these conditions? Anything in clinical trials or even experimental phases you think look promising?

This country is terrible at mental health and my GP is basically acting as my psychiatrist since they're all booked up or won't take my insurance. This is in a major metro area as well. So, thank you for what you're doing.

Also - do you believe we *all* have stress, anxiety, and some form of depression? I hate to get philosophical or metaphysical here, but it seems to me over the years to be a commonality in that we all suffer from mental health issues in one way, shape or form.

archiedefillomd-7 karma

First, thank you for sharing your experience with me. This is a very complex topic to be discussed on this platform. There is a strong relationship between mental illnesses and sleep disturbances. Both issues need to be addressed equally to achieve the best outcome.

chinaisasshole19 karma

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archiedefillomd4 karma

LUCA isn't FDA-approved because it was designed to be a wellness application. FDA doesn't regulate this type of device. Nonetheless, all LUCA biometrics and modules are based on scientific evidence. Our medical and Psychology team at Milan contributed to LUCA's development. For additional information please check the following link
https://medibio.com.au/science/

introjection16 karma

What is the single best thing a person can do to be mentally healthy?

archiedefillomd-18 karma

This question can be simple and very complex at the same time. Checking your stress level is the first step. Keep on top of good behavioral habits such as a good night's sleep and your physical and cardiac activity.

eveningsand6 karma

Dr. Defillo:

What devices do you wish were miniaturized to the point of a "wearable" to enhance the measurements taken for your app?

Follow-on: Do you plan on doing anything with population data, e.g. signal detection for pockets of high stress areas that may reveal an underlying and emerging health emergency?

archiedefillomd-12 karma

I believe current wearable devices provide us with good signals and fairly reliable biomarkers. My direct question to you is, what kind of biometric(s) would you like to see on wearables?

About your second question, it is something we are planning to explore in the near future.

Alvaro_jpena255 karma

Can someone develop cancer out of too much stress or anxiety?

zerostyle5 karma

I'm not a medical professional, but there have been a number of studies showing that stress and lower ranking in social hierarchy can lead to more heart disease/atherosclerosis =/

See Robert Sapolsky's lectures

archiedefillomd-3 karma

What do you mean by lower-ranking, social-economic status? In that case, I believe your comment is correct,

archiedefillomd3 karma

In my understanding of the topic, there isn't a direct link but a predisposition risk factor. Stress may downregulate many internal homeostatic systems.

benhadtue5 karma

Is your birth name Archie, or is it derivative of something?

archiedefillomd9 karma

It is my Nickname, Real name Aquiles

uninc4life20105 karma

Why is persistent stress linked to high blood pressure?

archiedefillomd-5 karma

One of the many reasons, it can increase your systemic vascular resistance.

th3ch0s3n0n33 karma

Hi Archie,

How does the app you've helped develop contribute to overall better mental wellness?

archiedefillomd-4 karma

Negative stress is the stepping stone to mental unwellness and there is a direct link between the two of them. Negative stress can affect a person's emotions and physical wellbeing