While we often think of new applications of medical technology as having vast implications for the treatment of many diseases, mental illnesses are often left out the discussion. This exists due to the deeply ingrained stigma in our culture that mental illnesses are not “real” diseases. However recent advances in technology have had a large influence on addressing the stigma of mental illness and providing new treatment approaches for mental illnesses.
One of the greatest impacts of new technology on mental illnesses is creating an online forum where people feel comfortable discussing their illness and can connect with others who are living with the same illness. While technology enables this for a variety of illnesses, it is especially important for mental illnesses because people with a mental illness can often feel isolated and feel pressure to hide their illness. Reading the stories of others, who are facing the same type of struggles, can encourage someone to seek treatment. The information available online creates an open dialogue in which we all can become better educated on mental illness, which will hopefully begin to break down the stigma ingrained in our culture.
http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/
New advances in technology are also impacting the treatment for various mental illnesses. One particular multimedia program that is garnering attention is called Virtual Reality, and was developed for patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The program is based on exposure therapy, and uses specially programmed computers to create an artificial environment designed to be similar to scenarios a veteran experienced during combat. This program has also been shown to reduce a number of phobias, including arachnophobia, by having patients work their way through various scenarios that include their phobia, thus becoming more accustomed to their fear.
www.medgadget.com
Future advances for the treatment of mental illnesses might involve applications that sense when a user’s mood is changing or if the user is in a high-risk situation. Mood could be tracked using physiological measures, and could signal a potential manic or depressed state. Location could be correlated to mood, and send a comforting or alerting message to the user if they are in an area where they normally experience high stress. For example, if a phone detects someone who has been diagnosed with depression with a predisposition towards alcoholism buying alcohol alone late at night, it could alert a family member to check on their loved one. While promising, these new features lead to many privacy and security concerns. Although it might seem easier to limit the app to solely the patient, allowing the patient’s family and friends to be part of the treatment plan is essential, especially for mental illnesses.
While technological innovations for the treatment of mental illness are advancing rapidly, the technology out there lags behind many other “typical” diseases. Hopefully, even more innovative treatment approaches will soon be created, creating a brighter future for the treatment of mental illnesses.