A Victoria pharmacist has teamed up with a local doctor and a phycologist to create an online healthcare platform to treat people suffering with mild to moderate effects of anxiety and depression.

Launched in May, Cognito pairs people with a psychiatric nurse who helps assess their mental health needs before referring them to a physician.

The team behind Cognito says once people register for the online mental health-care service they are able to begin treatment within 24 hours.

"People living in Greater Victoria were having difficulty accessing care for their mental health pre-pandemic," said Cognito CEO Jason Cridge. "The pandemic’s made that so much worse and access is at all-time lows."

According to Cridge, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic Canadians are experiencing a high level of mental distress.

He says 20 per cent of Canadians report feeling moderate to severe depression and anxiety since the start of the pandemic as opposed to 10 per cent prior to the pandemic.

"It's likely that even less than 50 per cent of Canadians are getting adequate care for their mental health," said Cridge.

"What we do at Cognito is we integrate therapy, physician and medication in the same platform," he said. "The reason that we do that is there’s a lot of evidence showing that medication, plus a doctor, plus therapy, is far more effective than any of those things alone."

Cridge says prospective patients register online and complete two clinically validated diagnostic questionnaires for depression and anxiety disorders. He says once the patient has met virtually with a registered psychiatric nurse, they will see a nurse practitioner or a physician.

"Then you start 'care coaching' which is cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness training," said Cridge. "A lot of clients find that really effective in helping control depressive thoughts or anxious thoughts."

Cridge says the team behind Cognito was able to design a product that took the best of what they could offer and make it available on one online platform.

He says that Cognito is able to help people far faster than traditional face-to-face treatment options.

"B.C. and Ontario have the longest wait lists for counselling in all of Canada," said Cridge. "Often it ranges up to a year in B.C. depending on the service you’re trying to access. With Cognito there‘s no wait."

The cost for Cognito is not covered by provincial or private medical insurance. The cost of the service is priced at $30 for the first month and then $99 for every month the client continues the online mental health service.

Cridge says Cognito is the only service in the country to offer counselling, medication and physician oversight on the same online platform.