Building a Better Mental Health System

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller

Hello, everyone. I’m Patrick Nagle, the founder of MentalHealth.com. Today, I’d like to share the journey that brought me here, what we’re building at MentalHealth.com, and the vision guiding our future.

Over the past two decades, I’ve founded and invested in dozens of consumer internet companies that have helped millions of people. I’m best known for creating RateMyProfessors.com and, more recently, MentalHealth.com.

One lesson I’ve come to value is open communication. By sharing who we are, what we stand for, and how we operate, MentalHealth.com gains fresh perspectives and meaningful insights. Most importantly, transparency builds trust, the foundation of all relationships.

Several years ago, after recovering from benzodiazepine dependence, I committed myself to helping people facing mental health and substance use challenges. To this day, that commitment guides my work.

In the years leading up to MentalHealth.com, my team and I built a national rehab booking platform for addiction treatment. Rehab.com onboarded more than 5,000 providers, facilitated hundreds of thousands of connections through clicks and calls, and helped nearly 1 million people in their journey toward recovery.

However, our experience was ultimately overshadowed by the addiction treatment industry, which remains deeply flawed and in need of significant reform. Despite our good intentions and ambitious goals, we underestimated the challenges within this space.

The most important characteristic for survival is not strength or intelligence, but adaptability to change. This is the Buddhist teaching of Anicca — impermanence.

As we moved from a contentious environment to a constructive one, we undertook significant changes to our business, including a long-overdue reorganization of our management team. These efforts led to the successful sale of Rehab.com and the acquisition of MentalHealth.com.

As a team, we recognize mental health as one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing healthcare sectors. With nearly half the global population expected to experience a mental health disorder during their lifetime, the need for a better mental health system has never been greater.

“Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued.” — Brené Brown

Our vision is to improve the well-being of 1 billion people. Through mental health education, diagnostics, and care management, we make mental health care more accessible, connected, and human.

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Think about how we navigate the world today. We use platforms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon to access knowledge, build connections, and discover products and services. In nearly every area of life, from managing our finances to buying a home, we rely on technology to improve our lives.

Yet mental health care lags behind. An outdated model, combined with misaligned incentives and fragmented technology, creates barriers to access, increases costs, and leaves people to navigate care on their own. The result is not only emotional strain, but an economic burden exceeding $1 trillion each year.

At MentalHealth.com, we are closing this gap by building a better mental health system — one that helps people understand themselves, build healthier relationships, and access the right care.

“Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember — the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.” — Zig Ziglar

Building a healthcare company is extraordinarily difficult. For this reason, I take immense pride not only in our accomplishments, but also in our exceptional team. In just two years, we raised $4 million in funding, launched our platform, and grew to more than 1 million annual users.

Along the way, we built new products, expanded our mental health resource library, and acquired MentalHelp.net and Therapy.ai.

To support our long-term growth, we assembled advisory teams spanning venture, clinical affairs, and public advocacy. Our Venture Advisory Team includes Brian Trisler, Co-Founder of A Place for Mom, as well as Fred Joyal and Gary Saint-Denis, Co-Founders of 1-800-DENTIST. Our Clinical Affairs Team is led by Jesse Hanson, Ph.D., while our Public Oversight Committee includes Ryan Hampton.

Today, with our foundation in place, we enter the next phase of MentalHealth.com: Triage & Diagnostics and Care Management. Together, these capabilities turn uncertainty into action and help people navigate care with expert guidance.

In closing, I’ll leave you with the daily question that guides me: What does the world need most right now? The answer is community. The future of mental health begins with self-understanding, grows through connection, and is sustained by communities that support well-being throughout every phase of life.

That’s how we build a better mental health system.

– Patrick