Psychiatry is a medical field that requires
human touch and empathy, so the question arises,
does digital health have a place in it, or
is it going to remain an inherently human job.
We’ve taken a look around.
Woebot is one of the many apps that aim to
bring A.I. to psychiatry.
It’s a smart algorithm that serves as a
pocket psychologist.
And while it can have a good conversation
with you, and can serve you with helpful tips,
sometimes it can get a bit awkward.
Of course as technology improves, it’s going
to get better, but can it replace human help?
Well, unless apps like these have a chat with
someone who is in a grounded emotional state,
it can go wildly bad.
But what most therapists agree on is that
these apps can serve as an introduction to
therapy, as most people are afraid to talk
about their problems, and especially hesitant
to seek professional help.
But since Woebot is just an app, it’s easier
to open up.
So therapy bots can open a door for people
who otherwise wouldn’t speak out, but real
therapy, for now, is going to stay between
two people, sitting and talking to each other.
Telemedicine on the other hand is a true blessing
for therapists and patients.
Apps like Cloud 9 aim to make mental healthcare
more accessible through a platform offering
intervention and prevention support by connecting
patients with mental healthcare professionals.
Another app called Talkspace connects users
online with over 200 licensed therapists.
These services are great to bring care to
those who need immediate help, and those who
live in rural areas with limited access to
psychiatric care.
Another buzzword in Silicon Valley is VR,
or virtual reality which we mostly use in
gaming these days, but they have great possibilities
in healthcare too.
VR can offer a brand-new way to treat mental
health problems, such as anxiety, fears, and
phobias.
In VR, patients can recreate fearful situations
to get over their paranoia.
For example, a VR app called Arachnophobia
offers self-guided exposure therapy for people
having an irrational fear of spiders.
As you might have guessed, in Arachnophobia,
you’re going to meet a lot
of spiders…
What’s probably the most useful gift from
digital health to psychiatry is in pharmacogenomics.
Pharmacogenomics is about analyzing how the
genetic makeup of an individual affects their
response to certain drugs.
It can provide explanations to why some people
experience side-effects when taking certain
antidepressants, and it can help psychiatrists
to customize drug treatment to achieve better
efficacy and tolerability for each patient.
So, how is treating mental health problems
gonna look like in 10-20 years?
Let’s take the Beauty and the Beast.
Beast was pretty depressed, being cursed and
trapped as an ugly monster.
But his smartphone could have recorded the
violent outbursts, the moments of insomnia,
and late-night looking up of internet sites
about self-harm.
A therapy bot could have made some suggestions
how to improve sleep and manage anger, or
book him to see a therapist.
The therapist then, could’ve suggested therapy
and drugs based on Beast’s pharmacogenomic
information.
And even if he hadn’t been open to leaving
the castle, as he didn’t want people to
see him as a beast, he could have scheduled
the sessions on a telemedical platform.
The curse could have been resolved much-much
earlier.
