Startups Like HabitAware Show Tech is Taking Mental Health Seriously

January 02, 2019

Aneela Idnani Kumar, CMO of HabitAware, is open about her decades-long struggle with trichotillomania – a disorder that, for her, resulted in the irresistible urge to pull out her eyebrows and eyelashes. She and her husband, Sameer Kumar, developed a device called Keen to track and alert her to the repetitive behavior.

HabitAware had a big year: The Minneapolis-based startup won the Minnesota Cup and was one of Time Magazine’s best inventions of 2018. Idnani Kumar said she’s encouraged to see so many more startups focused on helping people access quality care and attain mental healthiness, like she is.

Also in Press

Introducing New Habits

October 07, 2021

"Something I have struggled with, for literally over 20 years, is pulling my hair out. I’m not talking about those silly cartoon moments, where a character is “pulling their hair out” because they’re frustrated. This is something that’s much more in-depth, and more serious. Hair-pulling falls under the category of Body-focused repetitive behaviours or BFRBs, for short. This also includes nail-biting, and skin picking, etc."

Read the rest on Surthrivability

Trichotillomania: From Concealing to Healing

October 07, 2021

"My name is Aneela Idnani. I am cofounder of HabitAware and I pull out my hair.

Whew.

Are you wondering how I can be so open about my trichotillomania?"

What Living with Trichotillomania Is Really Like

October 07, 2021

"You probably know someone who bites their nails. Heck, it's so common you might even do it yourself. But while you might dismiss it as just a 'bad habit,' it's actually categorized as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB) — a general term for a group of related disorders that involve the manipulation of hair or skin on the body."

"To go along with this mindfulness recognition, I've found it helpful to have a Keen bracelet, made specifically for people with BFRBs by the company HabitAware. They buzz when your hands are in your trigger area so you can take a second to re-assess. I've found this bracelet to be extremely effective in noticing patterns, plus it even has an app to show you your progress and determine patterns."

Read on Yahoo News

HabitAware Keen Sizing Guide

Not sure which size is right for you?

It's important that Keen has a snug fit on your wrist. Here's a quick guide to help you decide which bracelet size to order:

Keen2

Small/Medium
Fits kids and adults with small-medium wrists
min: 5.25 inches (13.3 cm)
max: 7.50 inches (19.0 cm)

Large
Fits adults with large wrists
min: 6.15 inches (15.6 cm)
max: 8.50 inches (21.6 cm)

Sporty Keen (original)

Small/Medium
Fits kids and adults with small-medium wrists
min: 5.1 inches (13.0 cm)
max: 6.8 inches (17.2 cm)

Medium/Large
Fits adults with medium-large wrists
min: 6.3 inches (16.0 cm)
max: 8.2 inches (20.8 cm)