"Fish Bowl Index" of Mental Health

[Kashta]

Program gauges user stress with 'fish bowl index'

The Japan Times Online
Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sinking or swimming?: An online mental health-checker called the Fish Bowl Index is displayed on a cell phone screen. KYODO PHOTO

Kyodo News

A system that alerts users to their stress levels by representing their answers to a list of questions with visual imagery on their cell phones and personal computers has been jointly developed by Toaki University and Sakurai Co.

The so-called Fish Bowl Index of mental health, devised to help prevent suicides, uses images of red and black goldfish, a bowl and a cat to illustrate a person's state of mind.

The red goldfish represents the user and suffers more injuries depending on the level of physical stress the user reports. The black goldfish grows more aggressive depending on the level of stress the user reports in relationships with others.

The cat indicates social stress and tries to eat the goldfish if its levels rise, while the bowl indicates stress at home and cracks if stress levels rise.

The mental health check was developed as an early detection of depression two years ago by Tokai University in Kanagawa Prefecture. Its partner, Tokyo-based Sakurai, began selling the system mainly to corporate health insurance societies in February.

:goldfish: Source: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090611a7.html

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Mobile phones News

Phone stress checker aids mental health

Graphical representation of how much pressure life brings to bear

Work-related stress is one factor tracked by the fishy new software

TechRadar.com
Saturday at 05:25 BST

If you ever feel like you live in a goldfish bowl then you're definitely not alone - at least, that's according to psychology researchers in Japan and their intriguing new mobile phone stress tester.

The FBI (Fish Bowl Index) software developed by Tokai University and office supplies company Sakurai takes answers to questions about the user's daily life and mashes the results into a graphic indicator featuring a cat and a couple of fish.

Avatar indicators

An onscreen display shows a goldfish bowl containing a red and a black fish, with a naughty-looking tabby dangling one paw into the water.

If the user tells the application they feel physically bad, then their avatar - the red fish - starts to show injuries, while reporting stress in relationships causes the black fish to act that out by appearing aggressive towards its bowl-mate.

Home pressures

If social stress is perceived as a problem, then the cat has a few swipes at the poor red fish, with the bowl itself liable to crack as stress at home increases.

While undoubtedly inventive (and very Japanese), the FBI application actually sounds more than a little stressful itself. After all, who wants to sit back and watch a moggy eat your online equivalent after a particularly bad day at work?

By J Mark Lytle, Tokyo

:goldfish: Source: http://www.techradar.com/news/phone...hone-stress-checker-aids-mental-health-608158

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Check How Stressed You are Via Phone, PC

Techtree News Staff, Jun 11, 2009 1542 hrs IST

If you have tendencies of being depressed frequently and are willing to work it out, this Japanese innovation should be able to help you out. Now one can measure stress levels on a cell phone or a personal computer with a 'Fish Bowl Index of mental health' that claims to illustrate a person's state of mind on a PC or mobile phone, reports Japan Times.

The Fish Bowl Index has been developed by Tokai University and Sakurai Co. The purpose of this Index is to keep a check on one's mental health on a daily basis so that one remains healthy.

While the details of this 'thoughtful' innovation aren't entirely clear, it seems that it involves software which asks users (of a phone or PC) a list of nine questions. Based on the answers to these questions, a user's current stress level is represented visually via a red goldfish in a fishbowl - if you are stressed, the fish gets injured. The more you get stressed, injuries on the fish increase.

There are other symbolic images that show up too -- the black goldfish stands for interpersonal stress, the cat represents social stress, while the stones denote other types of stresses.

The level of depression is shown via the clarity of water in the fish bow. The higher the level of depression, the clarity of water deteriorates.

We wonder what should be deciphered of a dead fish - aren't we all 'dead' stressed sometimes?

:goldfish: Source: http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Check_your_Stress_Levels_on_Phone_Computer/551-103076-547.html

 

[dixienut]

then mine would show a fish an the coroner's table

 

[Wycco]

Seems a bit racist to me. All the bad guys are black... the cat... the aggressive fish. Couldn't they have chosen a white fish to be the aggressive one? (relax I'm joking)



... more seriously though...

I fail to see how it would relieve stress... probably use it once or twice and then it would collect dust. As the article above states- I fail to see how seeing your avatar eaten by a cat will make you feel any better.

It might make me feel better if the cat came and ate that annoying black goldfish that is being aggressive to my avatar- but not him eating me.

Next they'll make a device you can wear around your wrist and it will say "You suck, you're worthless and you're ugly" every time you start to feel depressed...

 

[Kashta]

I fail to see how it would relieve stress... probably use it once or twice and then it would collect dust. As the article above states- I fail to see how seeing your avatar eaten by a cat will make you feel any better.

I didn't make it past the "holy crap, why did they have to stick 2 goldfish in a stupid bowl" stage before my stress level went up. :silly:

It might make me feel better if the cat came and ate that annoying black goldfish that is being aggressive to my avatar- but not him eating me.

Next they'll make a device you can wear around your wrist and it will say "You suck, you're worthless and you're ugly" every time you start to feel depressed...

Wycco, that last part really made me laugh. This thing is so awful, it's funny. :thud:

 

[Kashta]

Mental Health Check System for Cell Phone Users

Sakurai Co Ltd, a Japanese company that operates in mental health business, together with Tokai University, recently presented their latest invention - a system for mental health check through cell phones. Their project is called "Fish Bowl Index".

The official presentation day of the service is February 1, 2009. The Fish Bowl Index was developed for both, individual users and companies. The service makes it possible for users to verify their current mental condition, whenever they feel stressed or depressed.


The latest invention of the Japanese researchers offers users nine questions. After answering them, the system reveals the current stress level, which is visually represented by a red goldfish swimming in a fishbowl. The fish in the bowl gets more injuries as the level of user's stress increases.

In case the user has a different kind of stress, there can be another image, for instance a black goldfish, stones in the fishbowl or a cat outside the bowl. All of these images are symbolic: the black goldfish shows interpersonal stress, the cat represents social stress and the stones symbolize other types of stresses. As for the fishbowl, it represents family conditions. If the level of stress registers a significant increase then the fishbowl can crack. The level of depression is represented by the clarity of the water, thus the higher the level of depression, the worse is the clarity.

Experts at Tokai University and Sakurai say that their latest invention can be used to maintain mental health on a daily basis. Engineers at Tokai University and Sakurai, look forward to showing the system at Technical Show Yokohama 2009. The exhibition will take place from February 4 to February 6, 2009, at Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama City.

:goldfish: Source: http://www.infoniac.com/hi-tech/mental-health-check-system-for-cell-phone-users.html

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Photos/Images

 

[jpappy789]

So funny it's sad...I fail to see how a personal under severe mental distress and on the verge of suicide would be able to interpret the symbolism of this program...