Brooklyn entrepreneur with ADHD helping destigmatize mental health medication for young people
NEW YORK - May is Mental Health Awareness Month and one Brooklyn entrepreneur is hoping to destigmatize mental health treatments for young people.
Inside a bustling tech space, Newlab, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, more than 200 companies work to solve systemic challenges which affect our daily lives.
One of those startup founders is Artin Perse, who is busy working on the design, trials, and technology behind his own startup.
"I have ADHD, and studies show that if I don't keep up with my treatment, I am going to die 13 years sooner than someone who doesn't have ADHD," Perse tells CBS 2's Hannah Kliger.
That's according to research by Russell Barkley, Ph.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry.
Perse, an immigrant from Iran, is the winner of a pitch competition for people of color, and entrepreneurs with disabilities. His startup, Levl, is a mental health-centered device and app which helps young people more accurately take and track their medications. He says his research on the topic lead to troubling discoveries.
"Young people are dropping out of their mental health treatments," Perse says.
He has also been selected for Newlab's Founder Fellowship cohort, 28 founders from underrepresented backgrounds who will get access to networking, fundraising, mentorship, and resources.
The fellowship houses him and his staff here inside Newlab, where hundreds of likeminded startups and entrepreneurs work on a daily basis in a variety of fields.
"Invention is not a solo act. The entrepreneurship journey can be a lonely one, it can certainly be a challenging one," Shaina Horowitz, Newlab's Vice President of Product and Programs.
Perse says his mission was to address not just the hardships, but also the perception of taking medication. Holding up a traditional orange pill bottle, he says, "there's a lot of stigma attached to this device and that stigma for many people is internalized. It's a constant reminder that you're sick... that impacts your self perception."
Right now, trials are underway for the product. Melinda Yeh, who also has ADHD, was among the first to participate.
'It also allowed me to better understand my own mental health, because I was finally able to visualize my patterns and my moods ...and my progress all in one place," Yeh says.
The product is still in the research and development phase. If those trials go well, Perse estimates that the product will launch in about a year.
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