What do you see as the potential benefits of having virtual services for mental health treatment facilitated by online applications such as Skype, Facetime, or Google Hangouts?
6.3 Assignment: The Future of Mental Health
In some ways, the type of counseling that occurs in most mental health practices is not that much different from the type of treatment Sigmund Freud provided his clients at the turn of the twentieth century. Sure, different theoretical approaches will change the content and style of the therapy, but it continues to be largely a face-to-face interaction.
That model is changing, and the change is driven largely by technological advances. Now we have the ability to communicate in multiple ways using modern technology. In fact, at least a dozen companies in recent years have established counseling platforms that use virtual communication as the means for providing mental health services. These platforms use text, email, phone, and video conferencing. Some clients prefer the anonymity of text and email, while others want the more personal “touch” of phone or video.
More than a few seasoned counselors who grew up in the profession relying only on face-to-face office visits are reluctant to embrace new technologies, claiming that they detract from the therapeutic experience. There are good reasons for that fear.
There are also compelling reasons to utilize the latest technology to reach more people with badly needed mental health services. For example, people who live in a rural area or are homebound may not have access to a competent counselor. Virtual mental health services open up that option to them. How about the person who previously had a bad experience in the mental health system and doesn’t trust counseling but desperately needs help? They can enter the virtual system with a lower commitment option, such as corresponding with a counselor through texting or email to see if it feels safe enough to continue. Virtual mental health services are also less expensive and are being reimbursed by some insurance companies.
In addition to new technologies, we have to consider the role pharmaceutical interventions will play in mental health in the coming decade. Looking at the previous decade, we can see an ominous trend. According to an article in Monitor on Psychology that you will read for this assignment, the use of psychotropic drugs (medications designed to address mental health issues) by adult Americans increased 22 percent from 2001 to 2010, with one in five adults now taking at least one psychotropic medication. The most common psychotropic medications in use are antidepressants, antianxiety, antipsychotics, and drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But, psychotropic use has not only increased in adults. According to a study of adolescents aged 15–16 in Norway, there has been a two- to threefold increase in the use of psychotropics among adolescents over the past two decades, reported a study published in Clinical Epidemiology .
So, the question is: Will these trends continue? In all likelihood, we will see an increased dependence on psychotropic medications. We seem to be moving away from more personalized mental health services and using technology and expedient measures such as medications to treat a person’s psychopathology. Is this a quicker way to manage mental health issues over traditional psychotherapy approaches? In some cases, yes. But, we may risk relying too heavily on medications to manage symptoms because it is easier than employing compassionate human intervention to facilitate true healing.
As someone who is soon to enter the field, it is important for you to know how certain emerging trends will affect the delivery of mental health services and decide whether these fit your style and values.
In this assignment, you will have the opportunity to explore these issues in some depth. You’ll take a closer look at the future of mental health and some of the virtual service technologies already being used.
Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:
· Evaluate the pros and cons of technological advances and psychotropic drugs in the future treatment of mental illness.
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Resources
· Textbook: Modern Psychopathologies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal
· Article: Inappropriate Prescribing
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Background Information
This assignment involves writing a paper on the topic of virtual platforms for mental health services. There have been a lot of new digital resources emerging over the past several years in the fields of counseling and coaching. It is encouraged that you do additional research beyond the chapter from the textbook and the assigned articles to become better informed about the emerging mental health trends being proposed. If you use this additional research in your paper, be sure to include in-text citations and a reference page at the end of your paper.
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Instructions
1. Read Chapter 16, “Problems Stemming from Societal Pathology,” in your textbook.
2. Read the article Inappropriate Prescribing.
3. Use critical thinking to explore the pros and cons of these advances in the delivery and treatment of mental health illness in the near and distant future.
4. In a four- to five-page paper, respond to the following questions:
a. What do you see as the potential benefits of having virtual services for mental health treatment facilitated by online applications such as Skype, Facetime, or Google Hangouts?
b. What do you see as the potential consequences of these virtual services for mental health services in general?
c. Do you foresee a greater or lesser need for mental health services in the coming decade? Explain your response in detail.
d. What concerns, if any, do you have about the probable increased use of psychotropic medications to treat mental conditions in the coming decade?
e. Describe what a typical “counseling session” might look like 20 years from now.
f. Do you see the DSM as the primary means of categorizing mental conditions continuing, or can you envision another approach to understanding mental illness? Explain.
5. If you use additional research in your paper, be sure to use in-text and a reference page at the end of your paper in correct APA Style format.
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