I am in pain. Paintball is fun, but it hurts. Off topic, but now we're getting back on topic.

Building an app

Someone asked me, "If you could build an app/website, what would you build?" This question is actually really easy for me, since I've already built my passion project, and I am rebuilding it. My idea is to have a simple website to connect people who are struggling with their mental health to professionals to help them.

Background & Reasoning

Mental health is a topic I tend to gravitate to since I've struggled with my mental health in the past. I was a part of a team that built a website in the past as a prototype for breaking the stigma around mental health, but we did not know enough to continue on with the project. Now, I want to finally create a service to get people connected. Personally, I do not know of a single resource for finding professionals past a Google search. It seems Google SEO is the only way to find someone, and that's just not right. Just because one therapist has more links online than another, doesn't mean they are better. Don't get me wrong, any help is better than no help. But different places are better for different people. There should be a database with every single resource for people.

The website

I'm crazy to think that I could go around and get information about every single mental health service, therapist, hotline, etc. in the world, or even this country. That's why it would be open source. I would provide the backbone and some places local to me to give examples, then the community would fill in the gaps. It's a simple design; just a page with a table and a page to suggest other places. The logic would be more complex, and there would have to be validation on any new resources. My dream is to reach across the world, but I am a builder, not a publicist.

Roadblocks

I'm afraid that even if this website is built better than Google, it still won't get off the ground. It's tough trying to launch a new project. I've seen teams better than me scrap entire projects because they couldn't launch. It's the reason why I keep stalling on development. I can do all this work for it to just be a GitHub repo, staring at me every day until I delete it forever.
Fun, right?
Oh, we also have the internet trolls to worry about. Anything with input is ripe for trolls to destroy. Hence why there will be no user input past suggesting new places.

Future

If I really had all the time in the world, and no concern for living costs, I would spend my time developing this website. It's my passion project, but it also faces many giants before it will be successful. Launch will be the first major roadblock. Also, maintenance if it ever becomes popular will be a struggle. And we're going to end the giants there so I don't become discouraged any more.

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