Beyond the smart mirror, there are other technological innovations geared towards monitoring and improving mental health, in particular. Digital devices and tools, for instance, allow patients to improve their understanding of their symptoms and seek better care from professionals. Everand’s library of self-help audiobooks can help users suffering from mental health issues access resources on wellness and mindfulness, which have been proven to help with managing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Titles from professionals like clinical psychologists Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson and Dr. Nicole LePera allow listeners to make use of protocols and strategies to address issues like trauma, stress, and self-sabotaging behaviors.
There is also a wider range of tools approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help patients get the care they need. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five (22.8%) adults in the United States experience mental illness every year, but only less than half (47.2%) receive appropriate care and treatment. As such, the innovations discussed below can help expand access to quality care and resources and ultimately improve mental health outcomes among populations.
App-Based Digital Treatment
Rejoyn’s neuromodulatory mechanism delivers brain-training exercises to users over the course of the program, including exercises comparing emotions displayed on a series of faces. These exercises help stimulate the amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and have antidepressant effects. While trials have found that Rejoyn does not have statistically significant benefits, the risks of using the app are minimal and could have a beneficial effect on patients currently struggling with depression and anxiety symptoms.
Artificial Intelligence-Powered Tools
As more and more industries tap into artificial intelligence for productivity and efficiency, mental health providers are leveraging AI-powered tools for accessible and personalized care. In January 2024, the FDA approved the first AI and ML-enabled assessment tool for depression and anxiety, Deliberate AI’s AI-COA, under its Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs (ISTAND) pilot program. The program will allow Deliberate AI to receive support to become a qualified drug development tool (DDT).
AI-COA uses machine learning and multimodal behavioral signal processing to create a bias-free mental health assessment method. Deliberate AI is also refining AI-COA for use in clinical and psychotherapy sessions to enable more precise diagnoses and triage and replace patient surveys with passive background monitoring. While the use of AI in mental health assessment and treatment is still in its nascent stages, this marks a positive shift in making the monitoring of depression and anxiety more accurate and accessible to patients and clinicians.
Virtual Reality Therapy
The FDA has granted breakthrough device designations for several companies working on VR and mental health management. This includes British startup OxfordVR, which uses virtual reality headsets and CBT to help patients manage schizophrenia and other serious mental health issues. Clinical reviews of OxfordVR’s treatment system found that it was effective in helping patients with severe agoraphobia manage their symptoms, underscoring the potential of virtual reality in managing mental illnesses and improving patients’ quality of life.
Ultimately, these innovations can help improve mental health but must not be seen as replacements for professional care services like therapy, consultation, and medication.
Charlotte Jennings is a software developer with a keen interest in everything health tech-related. Keeping up with trends is her hobby and writing about innovative solutions is her forte.
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