The mental health care ecosystem in Massachusetts is broken, as a result of public stigma, government inertia, and an outdated care system. New technology may transform the user navigation experience while providing tools that support meaningful engagement and adherence to therapeutic interventions that engage patients more deeply.
Utilizing STS perspectives such as actor-network theory, she helps product teams translate evidence-based treatment principles and mechanisms into engaging digital therapeutic experiences.
Mobile Mental Health Support
Mobile applications in Massachusetts are providing individuals struggling with mental health issues the flexibility and freedom to seek assistance whenever needed, on their schedules. Many apps also provide self-care strategies and wellness tools designed to enhance coping during times of stress, such as journal writing. Furthermore, apps allow people to contact mental health professionals via text, email, video chat, or provide on-demand psychoeducation and symptom tracking between clinic visits - these services are known collectively as mHealth, telehealth, or eMH.
988 has recently launched as a national hotline to connect people in mental health crises with local providers and reduce law enforcement reliance. While this initiative may prove useful, sufficient trained professionals must be present at helplines to accept referrals and meet people where they are.
Additionally, expanding access to telemental health options, there is also an urgent need for expanding access to in-person care and treatment. Unfortunately, most mental health providers only offer face-to-face services within private practice settings and many people find it hard to access mental health care even during non-crisis periods due to cost or stigma barriers.
An inclusive and accessible psychiatric health system requires collaboration among many stakeholders - federal, state, and local policymakers, mental health innovators, providers, consumers, and their families among them - to be realized. A holistic approach should be employed to address barriers to mental healthcare including stigma reduction strategies such as funding/training resources expansion as well as affordable housing expansion as well as improving quality of life outcomes for MH consumers and improving workforce conditions through loan repayment programs, alternative pathways for licensure approval as well as engaging retiring providers as mentors.
Virtual Therapy
Virtual therapy has quickly become a growing trend, offering patients the convenience of meeting with mental health professionals without traveling. While some therapists use virtual therapy exclusively, others may prefer face-to-face meetings; either way, virtual therapy has become an increasingly popular solution for getting the care needed.
Telehealth has been around for some time, though it's often mislabeled as "online therapy" or "telepsychology." These terms refer to phone and video sessions with traditional psychiatrists practicing similar settings as their in-person counterparts as well as apps offering real-time or asynchronous chat options.
With more people turning to online therapy for its many benefits, the demand for specialists who specialize in this form of counseling has skyrocketed. Such specialists possess advanced training, knowledge, and experience related to online counseling; furthermore, they abide by stringent licensing processes in each state they practice in.
Virtual therapy sessions with your therapist are frequently recorded and archived for later reference, making them an extremely helpful tool for anyone dealing with anxiety and other mental health conditions. Furthermore, virtual sessions provide a fantastic solution for people who cannot travel due to illness or limited mobility.
Virtual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has proven just as effective as in-person CBT for treating depression and anxiety. CBT programs focus on teaching patients to modify maladaptive thoughts and behaviors, with online CBT providing access to tools needed for success in managing their symptoms.
One limitation of online counseling is its inability for the therapist to read body language and other nonverbal communication cues, especially during times of trauma or crisis. Furthermore, patients must be able to afford reliable internet service for virtual sessions to take place - something which may prove challenging in rural parts of the state.
Self-Help Apps
Recent years have witnessed the development and release of various mental health apps (MHapps). Their aim is to assist smartphone users in managing their emotions by helping them recover from mental illness more quickly, encouraging beneficial habits that promote emotional well-being and providing convenience, privacy and accessibility; yet many existing MHapps fail to meet clinical standards for design and usability as well as being subjected to experimental validation trials.
As part of an effort to make sure MHapps are user-friendly and effective, it is imperative that developers fully comprehend how people actually use them. Doing so allows developers to target features most pertinent to end users' needs and behaviors - thus improving user satisfaction with these applications. To gain such insights, Bradley University's Master of Arts in Counseling program conducted a survey with patients from two Massachusetts mental health clinics including DMH. While high rates of smartphone ownership were observed at both state clinics as well as private insurance clinics surveyed; only about 10% reported currently using an app specifically related to managing mental health conditions.
Smartphone users were most likely to install games, social media apps, music players, and navigation applications; therefore MHapps intended for individuals with mood or anxiety disorders may take advantage of existing, widely-used apps to increase uptake and adherence among their target population. Specifically, those seeking to reduce stress or improve sleep might benefit from including features from some of the most widely-used applications into their MHapps.
One key to the success of MHapps lies in their design to be used by end users who have received a diagnosis for mental illness. Unfortunately, recent reports reveal that many well-known developers of these applications engage in sketchy data-sharing practices which compromise consumer trust and psychological safety.
Ideal mental wellness apps would be built around proven self-help interventions and customized by each individual's clinician to address specific needs. This would maximize their utility while still being user-friendly, safe, and effective.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robots
AI (artificial intelligence) refers to technology that replicates human cognitive functions like reasoning, solving problems and learning. AI applications range from customer service to medical diagnosis and surgery - with its applications found everywhere from customer care to customer support to medical diagnosis and surgery. AI research has witnessed rapid expansion due to increasingly powerful computing power being made available for training algorithms and models; Amodei & Hernandez estimate that training an AI system doubles every 3.4 months.
Rapid advances in AI have raised serious concerns over its potential impact on humanity, with fears over superintelligence surfacing as one potential outcome. Debate has generally divided between technophiles who foresee benefits from the advancement of AI technology and those concerned about risks - some in this latter group taking an "transhumanist" view which imagines human beings living primarily virtual lives uploaded onto computers (Kurzweil/Bostrom).
Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming an integral component of productivity improvement across a wide variety of sectors. Together they work to optimize tasks, increasing efficiency and reliability to meet customer demands while making the workforce more flexible while decreasing costs while increasing quality output. AI may even be used to control or drive robots - an understanding of which can only come through experience!
AI and robotics present several ethical hurdles. People can easily be fooled into trusting intelligent machines, as people tend to empathize with systems with humanlike appearances; this creates serious ethical concerns, violating Kantian principles of respect for humanity and dignity.
AI and robots may increase inequalities within societies. For instance, they could replace low-level jobs that require limited skills with higher-paying jobs that require greater education; this shift will disproportionately benefit educated individuals while creating greater income disparity between rich and poor countries.
Regulation is of utmost importance to mitigate any negative side effects from artificial intelligence and robotics and ensure their development towards outcomes most beneficial to society. Before overseeing legislation or policy decisions being implemented, policymakers must have sufficient insight into all relevant issues at play so they can formulate legislation effectively.
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