Opinion | A revolution in mental health: how digital tools can help deliver better treatment and access to care
- With medical professionals unable to meet the soaring demand for mental health treatment in Hong Kong, we should harness the internet and social media to pick up the slack
As mental health professionals and researchers, we must come to grips with any negative impact technology may have on mental health, but at the same time grasp the huge opportunities offered by digital tools for tackling mental illness. One crucial way technology can help is through access to health care. We are more connected than ever through our phones and computers, yet health care is still mostly face to face.
While bad habits with our phones and tablets can lead to sleep problems and stress, internet-based programmes can encourage healthy sleep, tackling a common factor in mental well-being. Recent studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have tested web- and app-based mindfulness, self-compassion and cognitive behavioural programmes for helping Hong Kong workers cope with the stresses of everyday life.
Having tools in the privacy of your home and the palm of your hand also helps to overcome the stigma associated with mental illness. Digital programmes can be accessed anonymously without losing the interactive element of seeing a mental health professional – online helpers, such as chatbots, can guide users through assessing and understanding their needs, and provide them with both security and ownership of their own care. These kind of internet-based therapies can be particularly effective at reaching the new generation of digital natives who have grown up with ubiquitous technology.