Tech Talk 7/4/22

“Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being” (CDC, 2022).

In other words, it has to do with the overall well being of of our minds.

People tend to put more thought and care into ensuring that our physical health is doing great. However, often times care for mental health is neglected.

In this week’s TechTalk we will look at an innovative way that technology is being used to help persons struggling with mental illness.

In a 2020 survey done by the WHO, it was seen that,

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide”(WHO,2020).

This means that in 93% of all countries, people who are in need of mental healthcare are struggling all by themselves due a disruption in mental healthcare services.

Seeing this lack of access to vital healthcare, technologies have been developed to provide online(virtual) mental healthcare service where physical mental healthcare service is not possible.

Virtual healthcare services have many advantages!

Firstly, being able to access the service online ensures that distance is not an issue. Whether someone lives a few kilometers away they can access healthcare services with just a few clicks.

Secondly, it is more cost efficient. With the increase in gas prices, virtual mental healthcare services provides a way to save money.

Thirdly, some organizations offer different types of therapy. Persons have the option to do a wide variety of therapy treatments. Some even offer fun types like cooking therapy!

Listed below are some organizations that offer online healthcare services.

• Virginia Tech partnered with Timely care to allow students that are struggling with mental illness to get help over the internet free of charge. Timely care is a company that offers 24/7 virtual healthcare to students. This gives students the option to set appointments around their busy schedule.

Additionally, thanks to the wide variety of therapy options students have more interactive ways to have therapy.

Students are also advised to seek assistance for other students in need of mental healthcare.

• TeenCounseling is an organization that offers mental health services to teenagers. Parents would be the ones to setup the appointment with the therapists, but teens will communicate with the therapist privately. Teen Counseling even has an app that a teen can use to talk to their therapist on their device.

• TickTalkTo is an organization that offers online counseling at no expense. TickTalkTo offers talk therapy services via their app that must be downloaded on a device. Also, their happiness experts are available to help persons dealing with issues that affect them mentally, so that persons can live happier lives.

In conclusion, many organizations have developed various technologies to provide virtual mental healthcare services. Theses services offer alot of advantages such as cost efficiency, different creative types of therapy, and the ability to access mental healthcare services from long distances. Hence, virtual healthcare services are helping to fill the void that was created due the inability to access physical mental healthcare.

References

Best free online therapy in 2022. Online Therapy. (2022, July 1). Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.onlinetherapy.com/free/#TickTalkTo Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, March 31). Mental health, suicidality, and connectedness among high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic - adolescent behaviors and experiences survey, United States, January–June 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/su/su7103a3.htm Teen counseling. Teen Counseling. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.teencounseling.com/parent_start/?transaction_id=102c425a7892ef124b1653b8b2e203&utm_source=affiliate&utm_campaign=Natural%2BIntelligence&utm_medium=Desktop&utm_content=&utm_term=%7BSource%7D¬_found=1 University partnership to provide greater mental health support to students. VTx. (2022, June 30). Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2022/06/unirel-mental-health-support.html World Health Organization. (n.d.). Covid-19 disrupting mental health services in most countries, who survey. World Health Organization. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news/item/05-10-2020-covid-19-disrupting-mental-health-services-in-most-countries-who-survey