Tech world turns to mental health tools

Whether detecting rising anxiety or managing a full-blown panic attack, the tech industry is offering an array of new tools designed to support mental health.

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Scores of start-ups will pitch their solutions at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas including Swiss firm Nutrix, which is introducing cortiSense to measure levels of the so-called stress hormone cortisol.

A small cylindrical object with a thin strip at one end, cortiSense allows users to test and analyse their saliva directly - without having to spit into a tube and send it to a laboratory, according to Nutrix. Results can be consulted in minutes via a mobile app.

Up to now, Nutrix founder Maria Hahn said, to test your cortisol "you need to go to the hospital, or you need to send your samples".