MedTech to fight the mental health burden

According to @WHO ?and the world mental health report in 2019: “Mental health conditions are increasing worldwide. Mainly because of demographic changes, there has been a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the last decade (to 2017). Mental health conditions now cause 1 in 5 years lived with disability. Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have a mental health condition, with suicide the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. Approximately one in five people in post-conflict settings have a mental health condition.

Mental health conditions can have a substantial effect on all areas of life, such as school or work performance, relationships with family and friends and ability to participate in the community. Two of the most common mental health conditions, depression and anxiety, cost the global economy US$ 1 trillion each year.

Despite these figures, the global median of government health expenditure that goes to mental health is less than 2%.

https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_2

since then, the situation has worsened with #covid19pandemic and the #economiccrisis worldwide.

This year ?821,897 Suicides?were committed, and today while I am writing this article, 2,536 suicides were declared ( I have changed this number 3 times before sharing the article).??

https://www.worldometers.info/

?Despite underestimating the real number of mental health conditions, these data are alarming. Dramatical changes in our #society , #healthcare system, and our vision of #mentalhealth #disorders .

The main challenge is making mental healthcare accessible with the massive shortage of experts: #psycholgists , #therapists and #psychiatrits . ?

?https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/behavioral-health-services-more-accessible-Mikelle-Moore/633101/

One of the leading solutions is the adoption of #emergingtechnologies in #mentalhealthcare .

The @National Institute of Mental Health, USA, has published on its website: “Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment”, ?where authors have detailed the potential pros and cons of this strategy by focusing especially on #mobile #mentalhealth .

The Pros and Cons of Mental Health Apps

Experts believe that technology has a lot of potential for clients and clinicians alike. A few of the advantages of mobile care include:

• Convenience:?Treatment can take place anytime and anywhere (e.g., at home in the middle of the night or on a bus on the way to work) and may be ideal for those who have trouble with in-person appointments.
• Anonymity:?Clients can seek treatment options without involving other people.
• An introduction to care: Technology may be a good first step for those who have avoided mental health care in the past.
• Lower cost: Some apps are free or cost less than traditional care.
• Service to more people: Technology can help mental health providers offer treatment to people in remote areas or to many people in times of sudden need (e.g., following a natural disaster or terror attack).
• Interest: Some technologies might be more appealing than traditional treatment methods, which may encourage clients to continue therapy.
• 24-hour service: Technology can provide round-the-clock monitoring or intervention support.
• Consistency: Technology can offer the same treatment program to all users.
• Support: Technology can complement traditional therapy by extending an in-person session, reinforcing new skills, and providing support and monitoring.
• Objective data collection: Technology can quantitatively collect information such as location, movement, phone use, and other information.

This new era of mental health technology offers great opportunities but also raises a number of concerns. Tackling potential problems will be an important part of making sure new apps provide benefits without causing harm. That is why the mental health community and software developers are focusing on:

• Effectiveness: The biggest concern with technological interventions is obtaining scientific evidence that they work and that they work as well as traditional methods.
• For whom and for what: Another concern is understanding if apps work for all people and for all mental health conditions.
• Privacy: Apps deal with very sensitive personal information so app makers need to be able to guarantee privacy for app users.
• Guidance: There are no industry-wide standards to help consumers know if an app or other mobile technology is proven effective.
• Regulation: The question of who will or should regulate mental health technology and the data it generates needs to be answered.
• Overselling: There is some concern that if an app or program promises more than it delivers, consumers may turn away from other, more effective therapies.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/technology-and-the-future-of-mental-health-treatment

More research is still needed.

#artificialintelligence , #machinelearning can play a crucial role in the predictions of the #mentalhealth outcomes and can be a tool to prevent #suicide and #depression ,

"AI appears to have a high potential for identifying patients at risk of suicide.

The precise use of these algorithms in clinical situations, as well as the ethical issues it raises, remain to be clarified.

AI is complementary to the medical assessment and does not replace it. Optimal performance will probably be reached through the proper use of AI by the physician, with holistic patient care. The doctor–patient relationship will remain essential in patient care. AI could raise a responsibility problem".

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8988272/