EMO, an app that provides emotional support for people living with multiple sclerosis

Magalí Garcia on 30 April 2025

Tool that provides resources to offer emotional support to people living with multiple sclerosis

EMO is an app designed to provide emotional self-management strategies for people living with multiple sclerosis, with the goal of offering psychological support to help them navigate daily life with the condition.

Developed by the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, the app is intended as a complementary tool to the psychological care already provided by the organization. EMO empowers users to manage emotional crises linked to the challenges of living with the disease and encourages better communication with healthcare professionals involved in their care.

To get started, users create a profile and enter the year of their most recent diagnosis. Based on this information, the app generates a personalized space where users can assess and track their emotional state. They are prompted to describe how they feel, identify the dominant emotion, rate its intensity on a scale from 1 to 10, and specify whether it is related to health, work, or family life. Using this data, the app offers tailored strategies to help reduce the intensity of the emotion over the course of two weeks.

Users can reassess themselves whenever they feel the need. If there is no noticeable improvement, the app provides contact information for nearby multiple sclerosis associations for further support.

EMO uses artificial intelligence to process user data and, following predefined criteria, selects the strategies and resources best suited to each individual situation. It offers a range of tools and techniques, available in both audio and text formats, to help users better understand and manage their emotions. All entries are stored, allowing users to track their progress and save the most effective resources in a section called “My Favorite Strategies.” In parallel, healthcare professionals gain access to valuable data that can help improve their approach to supporting people with multiple sclerosis.

Characteristics of innovation

Disability, Mental health, New service, Personalization of the service, User empowerment

Location

Barcelona

Partners / Founders

Novartis

Genesis

Sara Navarro, a clinical psychologist at the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, developed EMO based on insights gathered from focus groups involving people living with multiple sclerosis. The app was launched in 2023 in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Novartis.

Level of implementation

Using the app equips users with emotional management tools that positively impact the progression of the disease and help enhance their overall quality of life..

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