Sharing – Digital Tools Are Revolutionizing Mental Health Care in the U.S.

Is technology a panacea for everything that’s wrong with mental health care in the US? No. Are they always the appropriate solution? No. But do we need to find some way for technology to step in a fill this gaps when the need has been going unmet like this for so long?

“We have a crisis in mental health care in the United States. Sixty percent of young people with major depression received no mental health treatment in 2017-2018, and one quarter of adults with mental illness reported an unmet need for treatment. In the U.S., 55% of counties have no psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker, and 70% don’t have a single child psychiatrist. Queues for substance abuse care can be weeks long; 70% of those who needed substance use treatment in 2017 did not receive it. To make it worse, many practices have closed or reduced their capacity in response to pandemic health concerns.”

Yes, absolutely yes. We needed to be looking at any alternative methods of providing help years ago, and it’s only going to be worse as our pandemic and other causes of mass uncertainty continues.

Go read the whole thing, they talk about a few options, and some of the research being done on how effective they can be. It may not be the same as seeing a therapist, but when so many can’t do that, simply telling them to wait, move, or make more money, is inhumane.

https://hbr.org/2020/12/digital-tools-are-revolutionizing-mental-health-care-in-the-u-s