Harper Care Announces Tune a Science-Backed Wellness Testing Kit that Measures and Explains Your Mental Health

Harper, a company pioneering new science in mental health, from identification to personalised care, is launching Tune by Harper. The first of its kind, Tune’s wellness kit uses a lollipop to test saliva for multiple evidence-based markers of health, providing an accurate and objective measure of wellbeing when combined with digital assessments.

Harper believes emotional health and wellbeing care should be available for everyone, at all times. How we feel emotionally affects nearly every aspect of our day-to-day life, in the workplace, at home or with the people we care about. Studies show better wellbeing is associated with improved memory, cognitive performance and levels of motivation

Tune by Harper measures things such as cortisol and other hormones and hydration levels which can be used to identify a range of mental wellbeing issues such as chronic stress, burnout, and sleep disturbances all of which may lead to anxiety and depression. The Tune test kits are sent and received via mail and take on average just five minutes to complete. Users are required to hold the sample collection lollipop in their mouths until the indicator changes colour. The kits are then mailed back to Harper using the pre-paid packaging and instructions provided. 

Tune does not test for intrusive genetic precursors of mental wellbeing; however, the tests allow people to get a better understanding of themselves. The result from Tune allows people to know who they are with their unique mental health profile and how their traits of mental health from their personality affects their state of wellbeing. It also informs them of how they are currently feeling and what to do if they feel in a particular way.

A new national survey commissioned by Harper and carried out by YouGov, has revealed that more than half of adults in the UK (51 percent) are interested in understanding their mental wellbeing with scientific data from assessments, tests or games. It also found that 41 percent of respondents have had difficulties with their mental health due to a physical health problem and 44 percent were unsuccessful at finding the necessary mental health support they required. The survey also revealed 19 percent of the respondents are using or have used a mental wellbeing app and over a quarter who have not ever used a mental wellbeing platform are interested in trying one out in the future.

Harper’s team of mental health experts have researched the link between physical and mental health extensively at their precision mental health lab. Through Harper’s evidence-based research, it has been proven that people with physical health conditions are likely to experience stress, depression and anxiety, which can amplify the condition’s negative effects or, for some, partially cause the condition. Harper’s programme improves users' wellbeing, which results in improvements to their mental and physical health.

Dr Theodore Cosco, PhD CPsychol, Chief Scientist at Harper said: “At Harper we are highlighting the link between physical and mental health and the knock-on effects of mental health on physical outcomes. Empowering consumers with information about their levels of cortisol and other hormones, they can better understand their own mental health and how they can make changes to be healthier and happier. ”

Harper has already established itself as the go-to mental support programme within the fertility space, which delivers personalised emotional health support to meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of patients and their partners. Harper is offered to patients directly via partner fertility clinics, including GENNET City Fertility, Harley Street Fertility Clinic, and King’s Fertility and shown promising results with 92 percent of patients finding Harper helpful in managing treatment. 

Mithi Thaya, CEO and Co-Founder of Harper commented: “We have developed Tune to allow people to really get to know themselves and to understand how their mind works. We are really excited for the launch and to provide users with more knowledge to understand their mental health, supported by tools to live a fuller and happier life. The test kits have been designed in a way that are easy-to-use and are non-invasive and after a lot of research and testing we are excited for the public launch early next year.”

The at-home kits are launching early 2023.