How Digital Health Could Revolutionize the Mental Healthcare System

January 9, 2017

Mental health has long been taboo from a social perspective, and access to care (especially in rural areas) is often sporadic. Health tech can address this problem

The immediate need for quality mental healthcare in America is huge – 43.8 million adult Americans experience mental illness every year. But of those people, an estimated 60% do not seek out mental health services, largely because of the stigma around mental illness and the difficulty of accessing care. The good news is that digital health tools can help tackle both the stigma and the lack of accessibility around mental healthcare. The most obvious and clear solution comes with the pervasiveness of mobile technology: 68% of Americans own a smartphone, and 45% own a tablet, making mobile technology an easily accessible tool for improving care. It also provides those who struggle with the stigma of mental illness a sense of security and empowerment: they can learn more about their symptoms and understand that they’re not alone in their suffering.

Connecting with peers via digital health solutions can help people get past the first, often debilitating, step of outreach, allowing them to seek help more confidently when it feels right. Mobile technology also increases accessibility to mental health specialists across the country. Many therapists have started using video chatting tools for appointments, increasing access to care for all people, whether they’re in rural areas or homebound for other health reasons. Additionally, therapists often use simple phone conversations, SMS and email to provide support between in-person sessions.

With many of today’s mental health apps, people can track their own behaviors, symptoms, and moods, and report that back to their therapist, making in-person sessions more efficient and improving the quality of dialogue between patient and therapist. The first wave of digital mental healthcare solutions is focused on informing and empowering people, most commonly around conditions like anxiety, depression, and insomnia. While each works with different topics and populations, most provide education about risk signs and symptoms, as well as positive and negative coping mechanisms. They also include built-in support systems, allowing for peer-to-peer contact and access to professional resources. Most of these applications also have tools for getting immediate help in the case of an emergency.

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