healthcare technology

Those suffering from mental health problems have more options than ever before. And along with the tireless efforts of advocates and mental health professionals, technological advancements have also played a large role in combating mental illness.

 

From diagnosing mental health issues, to finding local treatment options and support groups, the internet allows us to deal with mental health in a way that previous generations would never have thought possible. And thanks to advances in smartphone technology, new methods such as online therapy are becoming more and more common.

 

According to the American Psychological Association, some studies indicate that “telemental health” and “asynchronous messaging therapy” can, in some cases, “be as effective as in-person therapy.”

 

Other studies have shown that online therapy often proves useful as a first step for those who are reluctant to get help, and can lead to patients to seeking out more intensive treatment methods.

 

For those who are interested in exploring the world of online therapy, we list here 4 websites which are a great place to start on your journey toward optimal mental health.

You can receive online therapy, counseling, and psychiatry with these sites that optimize your mental health.

1. ICOUNSELING.COM

2. MYTHERAPIST.COM

3. PRIDECOUNSELING.COM

4. REGAIN.US

read the original story at http://wordpress.futurism.com/telemental-sites-that-will-optimize-mental-health/

 

We are all familiar with "scratch-and-sniff" products. They have been around since the 1970s - mainly in the form of stickers. But these products are yesterday's news. Researchers have now created a device that could allow us to "text-and-sniff." It is called the oPhone.

Created by David Edwards and colleagues at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Massachusetts, the oPhone enables odors - labeled "oNotes" - to be sent via email, tweet or text to other oPhones using bluetooth and smartphone attachments.

Edwards, also a student at Michigan Technological University, says the technology may be useful in the world of health care - particularly for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and mental illness.

The oPhone does not work like a normal cell phone. It does not transmit or receive sounds.

Instead, the cylinder-shaped device consists of a set of disposable "oChips" that can store and emit hundreds of different odors for between 20 and 30 seconds.

The fragrances are created by Marlène Staiger, an aroma expert at a laboratory in France called Le Laboratoire. She deconstructs the scents before capturing them in wax.

Researchers used people's Facebook data and their medical records to detect early symptoms of a mental health problem.

 

In research described the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists analyzed language from study participants' Facebook status updates to predict future diagnoses of depression. The researchers say their technique could lead to a screening tool that identifies people in need of mental health support and formal diagnosis, while raising serious questions about health privacy.

 

If this line of inquiry sounds familiar, you're not imagining things: Scientists have been studying the association between Facebook and the mental state of its users for years—often without the consent of the people being examined study subjects.

 

Earlier this decade, scientists at Facebook and Cornell conducted an infamous emotional contagion study, which targeted the moods and relationships of more than half a million Facebook users without their knowledge. 

 

But many scientists continue to use above-board research methods to access Facebook's data.

 

For instance: By asking study participants to provide their consent, log into their accounts, and share their data—all in person—to provide one-time access to said data. The overhead is tremendous; it can take years to amass a large enough sample population using in-person study recruitment.

 

Yet the effort can be worth it to social science researchers, many of whom regard Facebook's trove of user information as the most significant data repository in the history of their field.

 

read more at https://www.wired.com/story/your-facebook-posts-can-reveal-if-youre-depressed/

 

also check out the opinion piece referencing this post at http://wordpress.futurism.com/ai-depressed-facebook-posts/