15 May How Technology is helping to tackle Mental Health Issues
If there is one thing that the team at ATAMA believe in, it is the power of its people. Without the dedication, commitment and sheer will power of the team behind the business operation; there will be no operation of a business.
As part of the Academia Group, ATAMA is supported by the HR team and internal policies that make sure all individual workers are always looked after and cared for. A healthy mind and body support a healthy attitude to customer care.
The Government’s Department of Health advises that one in four of us will experience mental ill health at some point in our lives. It is therefore vital that employers and their staff take steps to promote positive mental health and support those experiencing mental ill health.
The Stats
In the UK, 38 million adults access the internet every day. That’s 76% of the adult population. On average, internet users aged 16 and overspends more than 20 hours online each week and more than 70% have a social networking profile.
With this growth of the internet, online spaces and smartphone apps, healthcare services are beginning to use these developing technologies to help monitor health and prevent and treat any problems. Digital health (or e-health as it’s sometimes known) is an extensive and varying concept that includes the use of Technology for digital record keeping, online booking systems, online repeat prescriptions and some more innovative applications of Technology for direct treatment
Technology Support
Technology is also being harnessed to offer a means of treating those suffering from symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, and promote positive wellbeing. And given the potential of cost-effective, digital solutions to open up access to support, health care leaders are instrumental for improving accessibility to healthcare
Online self-help
Not everyone will feel they need or are ready to speak to someone for professional help. An alternative is to engage with some of the many online resources to allow people to engage with self-help. This could involve using information to understand mental health, using online self-management guides or using message boards or online programmes for direct support.
Online self-help resources can be used in the privacy of your own home, on your own schedule and pace, and there is no waiting list – so they are more practical for many people. Your GP may be able to prescribe online self-help resources or local charities may have resources available.
E-therapy
E-therapies are programmes that use the internet or mobile devices to deliver interactive interventions for preventing and treating depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
E-therapies most commonly use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are typically undertaken over several weeks or months. They usually involve users completing modules or exercises while receiving feedback on their progress. This type of therapy may use message boards, instant messenger with a therapist, or offer live treatment via video-calling platforms such as Skype.
Blended care
Blended care involves a combination of face-to-face treatment with online sessions. This could be online treatment sessions with structured delivery and monitoring of the core treatment information and exercises, alongside additional face-to-face sessions. In the face-to-face meetings, therapists can offer customised treatment by responding to the patient’s needs, problems or wishes in real time.
This approach is believed to be of benefit as it allows direct contact with a therapist; however, the online element helps to encourage patients to take an active role in treatment that can help support the development of self-management skills.
Online information
The Department of Health’s information strategy, which sets out the 10-year framework for transforming information for the NHS, public health and social care, notes that information must be viewed as a service in its own right.
Research has found that over 90% of adults with internet access use search engines to find information; therefore, the majority of us use online sources in some way to help us make decisions. Of young adults aged 18-29 who look up health information online, 33% looked up information about mental health issues, 38% looked up information on prescription or over-the-counter drugs, and 34% looked up alternative treatments or medicines.
The Future
Healthtech is revolutionising how we address the growing problem of mental ill-health and encouraging people to make their wellbeing a priority. In the coming 12 months, we can expect digital innovation to continue to improve people’s access to healthcare services, particularly when it comes to mental health.
Further reading:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care
Article produced with information from the Mental Health Foundation.
To understand how technology can help your staff, talk to your ATAMA account manager today or contact us on:
0203 9292 300 or email on info@atama.tech
