Weight management startup Noom is now diving into the behavioral health space with the launch of Noom Mood. The new platform was designed to help individuals manage stress and anxious thoughts, as well as boost health habits.

Users will be able to tap into daily 10-minute lessons based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance Commitment Theory (ACT). The new program also provides users with mindfulness techniques and tools, and human coaching for guidance. Users are also able to log their mood over time. 

Noom said it has experience in behavioral health because its weight management program is rooted in behavioral science. 

“Because Noom is rooted in psychology, we have helped millions of users realize the critical connection between mental wellness and physical health, and the impact each one can have on the other,” Andreas Michaelides, chief of psychology at Noom, said in a statement. “The launch of Noom Mood marks an exciting new chapter for Noom to help even more people unlock powerful holistic health outcomes.”

THE LARGER TREND 

There is a large market for behavioral health tools, as anxiety is a common condition. In a 2019 survey, 11.2% of U.S. adults experience regular feelings of worry, nervousness or anxiety, according to the CDC. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic rates of anxiety skyrocketed. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, four in 10 adults in the U.S. reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder.

“A stress-management product has been a top request from our Noom community,” Saeju Jeong, Noom cofounder and CEO, said in a statement. “As awareness grows around the importance of mental well-being for living a healthy and happy life, Noom Mood fills an urgent gap for those who want to improve their relationship with stress.

"The program is easy to use anytime, anywhere, building users’ confidence and empowering them to take control of their health. Expanding our platform to include Noom Mood is a big step toward leveraging our behavior change expertise across the health spectrum while delivering increased value to our customers.” 

THE LARGER TREND 

In May, Noom raked in a whopping $540 million in Series F funding, which brought its total funding raise to around $657.3 million. At the time of the funding, the company said it was interested in exploring new areas beyond weight loss, including stress, anxiety, hypertension and sleep. 

Today there are scores of mental health tools on the digital health market. Digital mental health was the number one investment during the first half of 2021, according to a Rock Health report. In fact, the report found that during the first six months of the year behavioral health raked in $1.5 billion.