Talk:Use of technology in treatment of mental disorders

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 14 September 2020 and 23 November 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Kbaeza-hernandez. Peer reviewers: Phdstudent13, Nk2668.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 04:36, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

First paragraph

The first paragraph of this article currently reads:

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have suggested that there are 400 million people worldwide who will suffer from a mental illness.[1] Depression is fast becoming the most prevalent illness in the Western world. Mental health problems effect the mind in an adverse manner. For example, in the case of depression the sufferer's mood is low for a long period of time. In the case of schizophrenia the individual can hear voices or see images that are non-existant. Traditional methods of helping people with a mental health problem have been to use approaches such as medication, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), exercise and a healthy diet. For conditions such as depression medication such as the anti-depressant Prozac (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)) have been used to help lift the mood of the patient by increasing the amount of serotonin within the brain; however, for some people there can side-effects of the drugs. Another form of treatment is CBT which tries to change the way the person thinks; for example, rationalising or challenging causes of an anxiety. Exercise is also another method of helping people with mental health problems as it releases serotonin into the brain, helping the person to relax. New technology can also be used in conjunction with traditional methods.

I propose removing this section as it stands. It's largely irrelevant to the article aside from the last line. It reads, well, like something a researcher might present at a conference proceedings as justification for a particular line of research. It is not encyclopaedic. Epidemiology of psychiatric disorders is complex and, to some extent, controversial. In any case generalised statements about the incidence/prevalence of psychiatric disorders or their symptomatology are not pertinent to the use of computer technologies as a treatment modality. Better to say, perhaps, that computer tech is intended as an adjunct to and not a replacement for treatments in a defined list of disorders. Also should state what if any is the research basis for these treatments (any clinical trials etc) or if it's all at the embryonic/developmental stage.

Self-citation is problematic and here there is certainly the potential for conflict of interest. There's also the possibility of a copyright violation if text has been taken from the David Haniff article. FiachraByrne 00:57, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

Just want to introduce myself. I'm involved with mental health through a community mental health center in NYC where I serve on the board of directors, and am considering a larger involvement. I've been involved with tech for some time and would probably find myself spending some time here. Tomlzz1 (talk) 16:31, 14 April 2015 (UTC).