Publications - Technology and Mental Health

Are Smartphones Helping or Harming Kids' Mental Health?, by Randy Dotinga, US News and World Report, May 3 2017.

“Parents worry -- often rightly so -- about how much time their kids are spending in front of screens. Now, new research suggests that when children at risk of mental health problems spend a lot of time on smartphones or other digital technology, they're more at risk of attention and disruptive behavior issues. But the news isn't all bad. The researchers also saw a positive benefit from screen time. When kids sent more text messages on any given day, they seemed less anxious and depressed.   ”

More Technology Use Linked to Mental Health Issues in At-Risk Adolescents, by Alison Jones, Duke University, May 3 2017.

“More use of technology is linked to later increases in attention, behavior and self-regulation problems for adolescents already at risk for mental health issues, a new study from Duke University finds.  However, the study also found that using technology had some positive effects: On days when adolescents spent more time using digital technologies they were less likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety. ”

Technology and today’s vast and immensely underserved mental health population, by Adam Seabrook, TechCrunch, Dec 24 2016.

“On top of the stigmas we’ve created, we’ve also constructed a healthcare system incapable of treating all our patients because of capacity and cost constraints, favoring clinical solutions for more traditional health concerns, such as cancer and heart disease. It’s time to recognize that depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions are every bit as serious and debilitating as physical conditions, and address the inadequacies in the medical community’s approach to treating them. To put the problem in perspective, consider that 18.5 percent of American adults suffer from some form of mental illness. That’s nearly as many people as heart disease (11.5 percent) and cancer (8.5 percent), the two leading causes of death in the United States, combined. Imagine the public uproar if 50 percent of heart disease and cancer patients couldn’t find treatment.  ”

Friends Help Friends on Facebook Feel Better, by Byron Spice, Carnegie Mellon University, Sep 2016.

“Personal interactions on Facebook can have a major impact on a person’s feelings of well-being and satisfaction with life just as much as getting married or having a baby, a new study by Carnegie Mellon University and Facebook researchers shows. But not just any interaction has these positive effects. Passively reading posts or one-click feedback such as “likes” don’t move the needle. What really makes people feel good is when those they know and care about write personalized posts or comments. ”

4 Technologies Innovating Mental Health In 2016, by Tori Utley, Forbes, Jan 25 2016.

“Mental health innovation is long overdue. With telemedicine technologies booming in the health care sector, mental health technology has been lagging behind. The unique nature of mental health services can make it difficult to develop technology that successfully intervenes in human behavior and actually creates measurable, positive outcomes. However, with advancing research and awareness geared towards mental health issues, more companies are innovating in this space than ever before. Emerging trends in recent years have the potential to completely change the health care environment for those struggling with mental health conditions. ”

How technology is transforming mental healthcare, especially after midnight, by Lena H. Sun, The Los Angeles Times, Nov 17 2015.

“Digital behavioral health is increasingly viewed as a way for organizations to improve patients' overall health, reduce unnecessary and expensive hospitalizations. and comply with laws requiring insurers to provide mental-health benefits at the same level as benefits for other medical care. Some technologies are narrowly focused, such as cognitive therapy sessions that people do on their own, like they might use an online program to learn a foreign language. There are also myriad smartphone applications designed to help people track and manage their emotions. Some can alert a provider of a possible problem by monitoring how much an individual moves around or talks to others that day. Thomas Insel, who just stepped down as director of the National Institute of Mental Health to join Google, says technology used the right way can transform access to mental healthcare and improve the quality of services. "This isn't the fix for everything, but just a starting point when you realize that 55% of the counties in the United States have no mental-health personnel," he said in an interview. ”