A new agreement between the mental health system of California and two technology companies, seeks to assess the status of patients with depression and anxiety, and function as a fire alarm to understand the levels of stress it is in.
The New York Times announced last July the existence of a tool that could help people suffering from depression disorders and who have suicidal tendencies. Mental health officials from California, Mindstrong and 7 cups, presented an early warning system that could help anticipate an impending emotional crisis, thus allowing them to take the necessary measures to avoid it.
The interest in this alternative was swift and since last winter thousands of people have come to test its efficiency. However, the public mental health system was given the task of analyzing its use and results to provide information.
Through apps and smartphones, these systems have begun to be tested to consider their use to promote mental health and request assistance when an individual needs it. Some subjects who were among the first groups to undergo these tests were people who suffer from a borderline personality disorder, who usually have difficulty identifying their own anguish.
Lynn McFarr, director of the behavioral and dialectic therapy clinic at Harbor U.C.L.A. Medical Center, says that "people with borderline personality disorder have difficulty identifying when the anxiety is very high." He added that with the tool it could be shown, in the form of bio-feedback, that the signals went out of control when you have a different emotion, for example, some quarrel with a co-worker, and would be able to anticipate and direct it with learned skills.
Through a digital file, users keep a daily log of events and factors that can contribute to their mood, thus monitoring symptoms of depression or anxiety. In this way, they can identify some that are fatalistic and find those moments that affected their mood at some particular time.
Both Mindstrong and 7 Cups digital mental health networks, are committed to providing the highest technology at the service of health through the use of digital platforms.
By these means, users have access to options to identify and calm their symptoms, such as a chat and even a person trained as a “listener”, prepared to assess the severity of the problem and who could contact the person with a 7 Cup therapist in a matter of seconds.
Although they are definitely interesting tools that can open many doors to combat daily problems related to mental health, there are certain challenges to overcome. One of them is the lack of confidence in technological platforms and respect for user’s privacy.
A large number of users have been identified with the self-analysis tool that they must fill out daily. However, studies have revealed that patients with anxiety disorders depend mostly on physical and personal contact and treatment.
Although Mindstrong already has more than 40 million users, it hasn’t yet expanded to Latin America and is in a limited test stage for certain users. However, this year it’s expected to have more than 340 thousand listeners in 189 countries. The truth is that, technology will always continue to evolve and these successful platforms could end up transforming mental health care.
