Sahen Rai decided he wanted to help normalize conversations about mental health after a classmate died by suicide during his senior year of high school.

“I basically just want to create something that could really help people struggling with mental health issues, or depression or anxiety, and that’s kind of what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said.

This prompted Rai, a first-year computer science student, to release a mobile app called You Are Loved, which allows users to track their mood and engage in conversations about mental health with family and friends who also use the app.

He said You Are Loved, which was released in February, is part of a larger goal to help people feel more comfortable talking about their mental health and feelings with others.

“People often feel uncomfortable saying how they’re feeling,” he said. “Ideally, everyone would be able to say exactly how they feel, but I think (the app) is a good first step to getting to that.”

You Are Loved lets users rate their happiness each day on a scale from zero to 10, which family and friends can view. If a user continually enters low happiness ratings or enters an extremely low rating at any given time, the app sends an alert to family and friends. Additionally, if a user enters a rating of zero, the app directs the user to suicide prevention resources. The app also displays uplifting articles and sends users daily reminders that they are loved.

“It’s unique in its ability to show (one’s happiness levels) to other people so that other people can help you,” he said. “My goal with it was to help people feel like they’re loved and help people have an understanding that they matter.”

Drawing from personal experience, Rai said he thinks that connecting people with their family and friends through the app will improve their happiness and feelings of worth.

“When I’m feeling down, what really helps me is other people – spending time with other people, getting love,” he said. “I think that’s really what’s at the root of all that, just showing love to your friends and family, showing it to the person who needs it.”

Leslie Rith-Najarian, a doctoral intern at UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services, said social connection is crucial to happiness.

“Social connection is one of the most robust things that relates to happiness because isolation and lack of social interaction can be associated with depression,” she said.

Rith-Najarian said she admires the mission behind the app, but added she thinks further research should be conducted to determine how effective the app actually is.

Rai said many people have praised the app for its uplifting daily reminders.

“I think that’s something that people really appreciate because it’s something to think about. It’s something that just helps you feel better if you’re having a rough time,” he said.

He also said he believes the app helps normalize open discussions about mental health.

“I think what people really connect with or like is that they can communicate with their friends and family (about) how they feel, as opposed to just understanding it themselves or getting help through themselves,” he said. “I think it makes them more open, so to speak.”

Harrison Garff, a first-year music performance student and a friend of Rai, said he believes Rai created You Are Loved purely out of a desire to help people.

“He just really wants to help other people, which I think is such a cool thing; it’s pretty rare to find that motivation inside of people,” Garff said.

Garff said he believes the app is especially beneficial for new college students, who may initially feel isolated at school.

“From a college standpoint, it’s the first time a lot of people are away from their families, you’re in this whole new world,” he said. “If you’re depressed or dealing with mental health, it’s hard to reach out to people around you.”

Garff said he believes the app makes it easier for people to communicate about their mental health, especially if they do not feel comfortable speaking about it explicitly.

Rai said he hopes schools can implement You Are Loved in the near future to allow administrators to track their students’ mental health as a potential means of crisis management.

“School, I think, is often like a second home for a lot of people, and I think being able to bring that to schools is a way to really help address (mental health) at the heart of it,” he said.

Rai said he mentally struggled with being far from home when he first came to UCLA, and said he believes students who feel isolated in their struggle with mental health should persevere and remain open to receiving support from loved ones.

“I mean, I struggled a lot, and things are going okay now,” he said. “Know you’re loved, you’re important, you’re special, and never forget that.”