Technology is rapidly transforming every aspect of human life. Whether it is the healthcare industry or commerce, whether a business is a large scale or startup, technology has become imperative for smooth and streamlined workflow and improving and strengthening the productivity of the workforce. Similar to all other fields, the mental health support sector has seen rapid technological developments for the prevention, intervention, treatment, assessment, monitoring, and management of mental health conditions. With every passing year, technology is offering more and more avenues for ensuring efficacious and cost-effective mental health support.
In this blog, we are going to discuss how the role of tech in mental health support is proving crucial and beneficial for mental healthcare providers- doctors, nurses, and therapists- and people with mental health conditions.
How Technology is Supporting Mental Health Support Services:
Over the years particularly after Covid-19, technology has found many applications increasingly in every field of mental healthcare.
Here are some technologies, many of which are emerging, that have captured the attention of both mental health providers and managers. For instance
Mobile Applications and Chatbots:
With almost universal access to smartphones, mobile app developers have come up with many smartphone-based applications that can diagnose monitor, and even suggest treatment for addiction to schizophrenia. These apps are capable of offering flexible support personalized for users’ lifestyles and requirements.
There are thousands of applications available on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. They are offering many kinds of mental health support to the patients. For examples:
- Some of these applications have been designed and developed for improving the well-being of the users. They help patients with activities such as medication, self-help, mood tracking, and practices.
- Likewise, some of these mental health support applications are equipped with AI and AI-enabled chatbots. These chatbots engage users through conversational means for offering suggestions and assessments to ensure the well-being of persons with mental illness.
- Some applications offer direct clinical support as well. Although most of them are designed for minor mental conditions such as mild depression and anxiety, some of them offer treatment for severe mental diseases- Schechnerian and the like.
These smartphone applications offer clinical support work based on existing therapeutic methods such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). CBT-based applications help persons with mental conditions track the symptoms over time and keep a diary to remain vigilant about them.
The Best Mental Healthcare Applications:
For patients struggling with common mental issues such as depression or stress, here is a list of the best available mental apps available on the Google Play Store and Apple Store.
- BetterHelp
- Talkspace
- Headspace
- Sanvella
- I Am Sober
- MoodKit
- Calm
- Happify
- Worry Watch
Teletherapy and Online Counselling:
Covid-19 forced people to adhere to strict physical distancing and other restrictions. These restrictions helped introduce people to many teletherapies and online counseling services. These technology-enabled therapy and counseling services are proving helpful in many ways. For instance
Teletherapy has overcome the persistent issue in the USA that is termed as a Mental Healthcare Desert. These are some rural areas in the US where persons with mental illness find it hard to access the services of therapists, psychiatrists, or other mental health professionals.
The widespread adoption of teletherapy and online counseling has increased the access of communities living in mental healthcare deserts to mental support systems.
Digital Phenotyping:
Digital phenotyping has emerged as an important technological invention that can help mental health practitioners to further improve their services. Phenotyping is the process of collecting data concerning the behavior and mental health of patients outside the clinical setting. Multiple digital devices such as smartphones, wearables, and other devices are used to track and measure human behavior and health.
The sensors in such digital devices sense the change in location, phone interactions, and physiological measurements (temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and more. these changes are then analyzed to determine the adherence to treatment and response of persons with mental conditions.
The use of technology in the form of digital phenotyping has proved beneficial in many ways. It helps mental health support providers perform different tasks such as
- Early identification of those people who are at risk of developing mental health problems.
- Offering personalized treatment to ensure that people are getting the right and efficacious treatment.
- Reducing the stigma associated with mental health problems because data is collected in non-invasive and anonymous ways.
Consumer Brain Recording and Simulation Devices:
Brain recording and simulation devices were earlier accessible to mental health support staff and researchers only. However rapid development in technology has made sure that these devices can be purchased by consumers and then used for recording brand activities.
You can now wear a portable ECG device during meditation. This device records your brain activity and is sent to mobile phone applications that translate this data into a sensory signal. These sensor signals prove extremely helpful in medication and other aspects of treatment.
Similarly, there are many technological devices available on the market that are designed and developed for psychological and psychiatric abnormalities. tDCS or Transcranial Direct Current Simulation is one such device. This neurotechnology device helps in the diagnosis of depression and other mental problems.
Virtual Reality:
VR or Augmented Virtual Reality helps create an immersive and simulated experience. This technology is being used in various medical applications, particularly in mental health support. Tech experts have developed VR-enabled devices to treat mental conditions such as anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias of various kinds.
There are also some fully automated VR therapy systems available that target social anxiety prevalent in patients with psychosis. This VR-enabled mental health support system has been a great help in the prevention, intervention, treatment, and monitoring of psychosis and other mental conditions.
Artificial Intelligence:
AI is another important application that shows the growing role of tech in mental health support. AI or AI-enabled systems have started to transform the mental healthcare sector in an unprecedented way. They are used to provide personalized and data-driven treatment plans. They are used to analyze data and study behavior and symptoms that may lead to an outbreak of any mental disease.
For instance, Facebook is using Machine Learning to flag any post that shows suicidal tendencies and then contact them to provide any assistance in this regard.
So, these are some of the uses of technology in mental health support. These approaches coupled with other traditional psychological and psychiatric treatments are helping doctors, nurses, and therapists to come up with more effective and personalized plans.
But it is also kept in mind that the application of technology is not without limitations or drawbacks. Understanding these limitations would help policymakers and technological experts to tread this cautiously.
Drawbacks of Using Technology in Mental Health Support:
Here are some shortcomings that should be considered.
Lack of Human Interactions:
In traditional clinical settings, service providers, in-person therapy, community participation, and peer support come in very handy in handling emotionally unstable and persons with other mental illnesses. Therefore, in these forms of clinical treatment, person-to-person interactions can help a lot in the psychiatric treatment of the person.
However technology-enabled treatment does not have the same level of human interaction as available with in-person therapy. This lack of human interaction can exacerbate the mental conditions of those patients who are suffering from loneliness. They can feel isolation, disconnection from the community, and exacerbated mental conditions.
Privacy Concerns:
Similar to other fields such as commerce, industries, or the like, the application of technology poses serious risks of data breaches. The information particularly in mental healthcare is very sensitive. If they are used for non-healthcare purposes such as advertisement, it may lead to serious consequences. For instance, patients can face discrimination or unnecessary interventions, like.
Furthermore, there are always threats of cyberattacks and other risks. Therefore, strict adherence to data regulations and safety measures must be practiced to avoid any untoward situation.
Doubts over Effectiveness:
Though mobile applications and other emerging healthcare technologies have shown some effectiveness against minor mental conditions, they are not as effective as in-person therapy when it comes to serious mental illness.
Furthermore, there are also some doubts over the quality of testing performed by app developers. Therefore, there have been calls for conducting more research and designing rigorous testing environments to determine the effectiveness and safety of these applications.
Wrapping Up:
The role of tech in mental health support is expanding day by day. Technological solutions for assessing, preventing, curating, and monitoring mental health conditions are now a norm and imperative. They are improving access to mental healthcare support systems for people living in far-off areas and offering personalized and individualized mental healthcare treatment.
However, there are some risks associated with the widespread use of technology. For instance, lack of human empathy and interpersonal interactions, limited effectiveness. And data privacy concerns are some serious problems that should be dealt with. Both states and private sectors must put in place appropriate safety regulations and rigorous testing standards should be designed and implemented.
Technology is the right way to improve mental health support systems, its role must be encouraged. But the adoption should be gradual and well-deliberated to avoid any unintended consequences.