SchizoJournal

Inspiration

I started SchizoJournal after seeing firsthand how people in low-resource communities struggle with untreated schizophrenia. Over 24 million people live with this illness globally, yet most receive no specialist care. That broke my heart. I wanted to build something that meets patients before crisis, not after something smart, compassionate, and scalable.

What it does

SchizoJournal is an AI-powered platform that brings proactive care to schizophrenian starting on WhatsApp. It includes:

A chat-based AI companion that checks in daily through voice or text
A clinician dashboard that flags early warning signs using behavioral and sensor data
An AI assistant that conducts intake interviews and saves doctors hours
A family portal for consent-based updates and crisis support
A rewards system that turns health wins into real-life benefits

It’s simple on the surface but powerful underneath.

How I built it

I designed SchizoJournal with a human-first mindset and AI at the core. Here’s how I brought it to life:

Built a WhatsApp prototype using Voiceflow, Twilio, and custom NLP
Created a Firebase + Python backend to simulate wearable + phone data
Designed the clinician dashboard and family portal in Figma
Used XAI techniques (like SHAP) to explain predictions
Followed FHIR/HL7 standards for medical integration
Mapped out regulatory, ethical, and go-to-market strategy for real-world deployment

Challenges I ran into

Designing for anosognosia (users not realizing they’re ill)
Integrating multi-modal data in a lightweight, privacy-preserving way
Building trust with clinicians while designing something accessible to families
Balancing scale with safety and empathy

Accomplishments I'm proud of

Building a real WhatsApp companion that logs mood, prompts CBT, and flags risk
Developed a clinician dashboard that prioritizes care based on AI insights
Created a full business model targeting $343B/year in avoidable costs
Mapped out a path to FDA clearance and Medicaid-backed rewards

What I learned

AI can’t solve schizophrenia but it can amplify care in a way humans alone can’t
People engage more when you speak their language (literally and digitally)
Ethics isn’t a section in the deck it’s baked into every decision
To reach the hardest-to-reach, design like it’s WhatsApp or it won’t be used