Changing minds about digital mental health

Last week I had the honour of attending the?22nd World Psychiatric Scientific Congress in Bangkok. Such a vibrant city and a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and hear the amazing work that is going on across the globe.

One of the recurring themes throughout the conference was the huge gulf between those who are in need of mental health treatment and those who are actually receiving treatment. And, of course, the sad truth that hardly anyone receives mental health treatments that are?scientifically proven to work.

Adding to this, I have been following the recent media coverage of the ongoing?crisis in our own mental health system.?As clinicians on the coal face, we are far too familiar with that sinking feeling as we turn away new referrals, explain our waitlists to desperate patients or hand out prescriptions for medications that they might not need.

We need to close this gap between those who need treatment and those who get treatment – every patient should have access to immediate, effective and accessible psychological care. One of the solutions is adding a?THIS WAY UP Program?to your patient treatment plan.

So, this month I’m throwing out a challenge – we created THIS WAY UP's?Stages of Change cheat sheet?and my colleague Jay has written a?great blog busting a whole lot of myths.?So - get out there and practise your motivational interviewing on your colleagues - let them know about THIS WAY UP!

Written by Dr Mike Millard, Clinical Director at THIS WAY UP.