In March 2022, a Forbes news report stated that America is undergoing a mental health crisis. The statistics paint a rather concerning picture: over 2.5 million young individuals in the United States today suffer from acute depression and don’t receive the necessary treatment.
Today, substance abuse rates have gone up and affect 4% of young people and 7% of adults who struggle to manage their substance use disorder. Solving such problems poses a profound challenge, mostly because of insufficient insurance coverage.
Currently, nearly 11% of Americans suffering from mental health issues don’t have insurance. Another 8% of kids, which is close to a million, are usually covered by private insurance plans that don’t include mental health services.
In December 2022, a news article in Psychiatry Online stated that with technological advancement, mental health treatment would become highly digitized. The Harvard Business Review in December 2020 shared that there is a dynamic shift taking place in the mental health landscape, with progressive vendors leveraging virtual care and online tools to create a potent ecosystem that would care for patient well-being.
This integrated approach will seamlessly take individuals towards in-person care as and when needed. On the other hand, it offers scalable solutions and increased flexibility to the mental health care system. The outcome is enhanced convenience and accessibility for customers, thereby prompting several employer-sponsored health plans to integrate digital and virtual alternatives for mental healthcare, which come with multiple benefits.
The Advanced Tech Solutions for Mental Health
Keeping in mind the innovations, we have technologies such as virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and gaming that can provide effective tools to assist in holistic healthcare. Consumers today want access to mental health care interventions that are stigma-free, scalable, affordable, and accessible. But today, clinicians require some more time to adopt brand-new technologies.
The innovative solutions that lie ahead of us include:
- Removing Barriers with AI-led Therapy
In 2022, the Medical Device Network reported that AI-driven chatbots focused on self-care and therapeutics are becoming increasingly popular. Ellipsis is a voice recognition tool that actively observes and listens for signs of emotional distress.
Another example is Woebot, a relational agent designed to assist people in discussing complex situations and practicing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques.
Since its launch in 2017, Woebot has successfully secured funding of $123.5 million, with a significant portion of nearly $100 million raised since 2021.
Alison Darcy, the founder, and president of Woebot Health, asserts that while the precise role of this technology within the current health system is still developing, there is a growing consensus that digital, self-directed tools will play a vital part in a more comprehensive, inclusive, and preventive mental health care system.
Darcy further emphasizes that traditional therapy cannot be easily scaled due to its reliance on human-to-human interaction. Therefore, an AI-led technology that learns, listens, and provides empathetic mental health support through smart devices can offer patients, clinicians, and society at large the opportunity to ensure increased care availability and accessibility.
- The Advent of behavioral health billing solutions
Specialized behavioral health billing services streamline the billing process by ensuring the precise completion of claims right from the start. These services possess deep knowledge of correct coding practices and maintain familiarity with third-party and managed care companies responsible for mental health reimbursement. Their expertise in billing becomes particularly crucial when dealing with claims related to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), neuropsychological assessments, employee assistance programs (EAP), hospital-based services, and academic testing.
According to Millin Medical, companies in this niche should develop their software according to the specifications provided by the behavioral health agency. Instead of using a blank template, it is necessary to create a database that assists users in setting up their locations, payors, integrations, and patient demographics, ensuring a smooth billing process from the first-day, when claims are submitted. The leading players in the industry must develop software capable of billing for various services, including care coordination, detox, residential treatment facilities, day treatment, and more.
- Social VR transforms new-world experiences
VR technology has been advancing at a rapid pace. It can transport people to virtual environments, thereby facilitating interactions in a highly realistic way. It also tracks user behavior. The technology has the capacity to manage and treat multiple conditions, like pain, stress, and anxiety, and can change pain perceptions.
Dr. Elizabeth Murphy, who is a psychologist at the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, asserts that VR has been getting used as a psychological therapy in specialized mental health clinics for more than 25 years. But its use in the domain of psychological therapy gets limited to small-scale implementations, mostly for in-person therapy.
Conclusion
The future of mental health care looks bright with the integration of new-age technologies. From AI-driven chatbots providing therapeutic support to virtual reality transforming the way we experience therapy, technology is revolutionizing the mental health landscape. With advancements in digital tools, virtual care, and remote monitoring, accessibility and convenience for individuals seeking mental health support are improving.
While the precise role of technology in mental health care continues to evolve, there is a growing consensus that digital, self-directed tools will play a vital part in creating a more comprehensive, inclusive, and preventive mental health care system.
