KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 11): Most employees who used mental health support under an AIA Malaysia group benefits programme engaged with preventive services rather than progressing to higher-intensity care, found a whitepaper released by mental health company ThoughtFull World Pte Ltd.

The real-world data covers 33,369 employees enrolled in the programme between January 2023 and March 2026, of whom 4,560, or 13.7%, downloaded the ThoughtFull app and engaged with at least one feature. 

Just 16 employees, or 0.05% of those enrolled, used video or in-person therapy, while 23, or 0.07%, accessed a 24-hour crisis hotline.

The findings are part of a whitepaper examining ThoughtFull's mental health programme embedded within AIA Malaysia's corporate group benefits offering. The partnership between AIA Malaysia and ThoughtFull — a Temasek-backed mental health company — began in July 2022.

In a statement, ThoughtFull said the findings come as insurers across Malaysia and Southeast Asia face mounting pressure to manage claims costs against a rising mental health burden.

The 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey — conducted by the Institute for Public Health, an agency under the Ministry of Health — found that the prevalence of adult depression doubled from 2.3% in 2019 to 4.6% in 2023.

“This is the first time we've been able to put real, population-level numbers behind what a tiered, insurer-embedded model actually does for a workforce. Our partnership with AIA Malaysia shows prevention isn't just a nice idea, it shows up directly in how care gets used and in how people's symptoms change,” said ThoughtFull founder and chief executive officer Joan Low.

ThoughtFull’s programme uses a tiered model, beginning with self-guided tools and asynchronous text-based coaching with mental health professionals. 

Employees requiring more intensive support have access to counselling or clinical psychologists through video or face-to-face sessions, while a crisis hotline provides immediate support for acute cases. 

Psychiatric consultations and treatment are also available through AIA Malaysia's panel hospital network where medically appropriate.

Separately, ThoughtFull assessed changes in depression, anxiety and stress among 142 users who had above-normal baseline scores and completed at least one follow-up assessment within 14 to 90 days. The number of eligible users varied by measure, comprising 130 for depression, 129 for anxiety and 111 for stress.

Average depression scores fell to 17.4 from 21.1, anxiety scores to 15.4 from 19.0 and stress scores to 21.9 from 25.8. The reductions were statistically significant, with small-to-moderate effect sizes, said the whitepaper. 

About 63% of users recorded measurable improvement within 90 days.

Among users initially assessed as having severe or extremely severe symptoms, 38.5% moved into lower depression categories, 36.4% for anxiety and 47.5% for stress.

ThoughtFull added that the analysis was observational and did not establish causality or direct cost savings. No individual-level information was shared with AIA Malaysia or participating employers.