Forbes
Sai Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D.
Nov 26, 2021,
Discussions surrounding mental health have never been more prominent or vital.
After a chaotic two years amidst a global pandemic, rising consumer costs, and a fluid global economic climate, people are exhausted.
But societal mental health was taking a toll even prior to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Statistic after statistic has unequivocally illustrated increasing rates of
- burnout among professionals,
- mounting discontent with work-life balance, and
- kyrocketing rates of depression and suicide-all critical aspects contributing to mental health.
Unfortunately, although mental health issues have exponentially grown over the past three decades, services to address these needs have not been able to keep up with the demand.
One of the primary reasons for this has been a lack of sufficient, trained professionals, thereby limiting access to those who need it the most.
Cue digital health and telehealth services, which are being touted as the newest solutions to increase access to mental health services.
As the United States Department of Health and Human Services explains, “Telebehavioral health can break down barriers and offer more privacy than face-to-face mental health care.
Other benefits include:
- Connecting patients and providers to a wider network regardless of location;
- Easier, more convenient access to specialists and unique treatments;
- More opportunity for patients and providers to connect with others who speak the same language or come from a similar cultural background;
- More confidence in patients who are unwilling to seek out in-person behavioral health treatment, but feel comfortable with telehealth.”
Industry giants have recognized the derived value in this space and have been investing billions of dollars into mental health technology.
- Take for example the famed mediation app Headspace, which recently announced a merger culminating in a total valuation of over $3 billion with on-demand mental health service provider Ginger.
- Similarly, late last year, Calm, a sleep and meditation app, announced a $2 billion valuation, backed by prominent industry venture funds.
- Virtual care applications which offer remote or virtual mental health sessions on-demand, such as Carbon Health, are also gaining significant traction. Carbon Health was recently valuated at more than $3 billion.
But the digital health solution brings with it certain conundrums and criticisms.
For one, technology and increased screen time has been proven over the past 3 decades to actually fuel mental health crises in some ways-be it due to
- a disconnect from reality,
- less real-life social interaction, or
- virtual bullying-technology hasn’t had the best track-record, thus far.
Furthermore, just because there are so many apps and digital solutions available to solve mental health disparities does not mean that the people that actually need it the most have access.
The reality is that mental health services are most lacking in underserved communities– both in terms of socioeconomics and with regards to location (e.g. rural areas).
These are often the same demographics that don’t have access to broadband or high-speed internet, rendering a proliferation of internet-based applications to solve mental health issues, a moot point.
However, these problems are not unsolvable.
Some of the greatest minds in technology are working on these exact conundrums, both in terms of making the online ecosystem more friendly and safe, as well as making the internet and digital tools more accessible.
On the latter point especially, internet infrastructure in America is far behind that of other countries and is one of the key bottlenecks in increasing access to digital care in rural communities.
But policy experts and government officials are starting to understand the need for change in this arena. Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic forced so many people into home isolation and fueled a “work from home” revolution, lawmakers are taking note.
The latest initiative is a part of the Biden administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which aims to “deliver $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet through a historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment.
The legislation will also help lower prices for internet service and help close the digital divide, so that more Americans can afford internet access.”
Indeed, there are so many issues to consider with regards to addressing the mental health crisis that is gripping the world.
Access to care is at the forefront of these issues-especially as communities simply require more trained professionals to help those that need it the most.
Although technological innovation provides a promising step in increasing this access, there is far more work left to be done.
About the author
Sai Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D.
Contributor, Healthcare
I write about clinical medicine, innovation in healthcare, and health policy.
I am a physician, speaker, and writer, focusing on the intersections of healthcare, digital innovation, and policy. I completed an M.D./ J.D. dual-degree with distinguished honors.
I was previously a strategy consultant for a global consulting firm, where I advised large corporations on enterprise performance and workflow success. I have focused my scholarship and work on how systemic changes to healthcare affect the realities of actual patient care and societal health outcomes. Specifically, I draw upon my clinical training, legal education, and background in strategy to analyze the operational, business, and political frameworks that impact clinical medicine, innovation in healthcare, and health policy.
I am an avid reader of non-fiction books, and enjoy writing, public speaking, and biking in my free time.
Originally published at https://www.forbes.com.
