In recent decades, mental health diagnoses in the U. S. have significantly increased, partially due to advancements in diagnostic technology and innovations in mental health care. However, when COVID-19 struck in 2020, millions of Americans found themselves struggling with loneliness, isolation, and symptoms of mental illness as a result.
At the time, the U.S. healthcare system adapted to this increase in demand for counseling and therapy services, transitioning to telehealth and digital forms of mental health intervention. Since this transition, combining technology and mental health care has resulted in many innovations, such as monitoring devices and mobile apps, to support individuals in their wellness journey.
Historical Context of Technology in Mental Health
Even before the pandemic, researchers, engineers, developers, and healthcare providers had begun exploring ways to combine technology and mental health. During the 1990s and early 2000s, technology-supported intervention in mental healthcare began to gain traction in the form of teletherapy.
However, the years leading up to and during the pandemic certainly influenced the widespread adoption of teletherapy, alongside the rise of wellness apps and wearable health monitoring technologies.
Early Use of Technology in Mental Health
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), videoconferencing was used for therapeutic purposes during the 1950s and 60s at the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute. The institute established a closed-circuit television link with Norfolk State Hospital, using videoconferencing–also called teletherapy, telehealth, or telemedicine–for group therapy, long-term therapy, consultation-liaison psychiatry, and medical student training.
While telemedicine remained a common practice in diagnostic and therapeutic contexts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, this technology was more frequently utilized in other medical disciplines besides behavioral and mental health.
That said, teletherapy gained traction internationally during the 1990s, and researchers worldwide began exploring telemedicine’s potential to increase access to care despite geographical obstacles.
By the 2000s, mental health practitioners began to view telemedicine as an effective alternative to in-person care, particularly after the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) was founded in 1993 to establish evidence-based guidelines for telemedical practices.
Evolution of Monitoring Devices
With the rise of smartphones and smartwatches that can monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and duration and quality of sleep, many Americans have taken up different kinds of remote patient monitoring (RPM) to take an active role in their healthcare.
One of the earliest forms of health monitoring via wearable or implantable technology was developed in 1958: an implantable pacemaker for patients with cardiac arrhythmia. Over the next several decades, researchers and engineers continued researching other implantable RPM technologies.
This work throughout the late 20th century resulted in the emergence of pacemakers and deep brain stimulation devices, dramatically changing the diagnosis and prognosis processes in cardiology and neurology.
As the 21st century began, research shifted from implantable technologies to wearable, portable RPM technology. Today, many people utilize wearable technologies to monitor their health for a variety of reasons:
- Assist with diagnosis of conditions
- Boost patient engagement in their healthcare
- Support symptom management
- Monitor fitness levels
- Track vital signs (pulse, blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, oxygen levels)
Devices with RPM technology use wearable biological sensors (or biosensors) that record real-time health diagnostics. According to Guk et al., these wearable devices contain individual receivers, signal processors, and power sources, essentially making them “microcomputers.”
Wearable monitoring devices may include accessories, clothing, or other skin-attachable or -insertable devices. Examples of wearable health monitoring devices may include the following:
- Watches
- Rings
- Bandages or patches
- Articles of clothing
- Shoes
- Glasses or contact lenses
What the Future Holds
Though previous research and experimentation with wearable, portable, and implantable health monitoring technologies have primarily focused on physiological conditions, technology’s role in psychiatric and psychological healthcare was revolutionized with the arrival of COVID-19. As teletherapy continues to grow and evolve in the mental health space, developers, engineers, and researchers are exploring other ways to combine technology and mental health care.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently become a topic of conversation regarding the potential of using AI chatbots and mobile apps to simulate digital therapy sessions outside treatment providers’ regular operating hours. Additionally, AI’s ability to aggregate and analyze data has demonstrated potential for supporting mental health professionals in diagnosing and treating conditions.
Researchers have also begun exploring the possibility of using virtual reality (VR) and immersive technology (like video games) to treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety, psychosis, and specific phobias.
More recent innovations in mental health technology include implantable monitoring and treatment devices. In 2023, researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine developed a wireless brain implant capable of monitoring and activating dopamine levels using a light technique called optogenetic stimulation.
In the future, this technology can be used to explore and treat opioid addiction, behavioral disorders, and neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Types of Monitoring Devices and Apps Available
As millions of Americans struggled with loneliness, isolation, and other mental health symptoms during the pandemic, the shift toward telehealth services–along with an unprecedented period of technological innovation–opened the floodgates for countless mental health and wellness monitoring devices and apps to emerge.
While patients and healthcare providers navigated a new model of distanced care, software developers, researchers, and mental healthcare professionals got creative in developing more on-demand services for people needing support. This effort has dramatically increased Americans’ digital access to secondary and tertiary mental health services like life coaching, peer support, guided meditation and mindfulness, and stress management.
Access to these resources primarily comes in mobile applications, considering most Americans own a smartphone. However, the intersection of technology and mental health has also brought other health and wellness tech to the market.
Wearables
In clinical environments, wearable devices can benefit patients and providers in monitoring and managing symptoms. For example, a therapist may ask patients to wear a sleep monitor on their wrist at night between sessions. This way, the clinician can use precise and accurate data about their patient’s quality and quantity of sleep to make more informed treatment decisions.
Wearable mental health technology is also becoming more widely available at the consumer level. Now, the market features brain recording and stimulation devices that may improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety.
For example, an electroencephalography (EEG) headset–like the Muse headband–can record and transfer electrical activity in the brain to a mobile app. The app then translates the synapse into a sensory signal and provides the user with immediate biofeedback training by guiding them through a meditation or mindfulness exercise, for instance.
Mood Tracking Apps
Among the top mood-tracking and journaling apps available are Daylio, Moodfit, and Reflectly. Daylio asks users to quickly assess their mood using a five-point scale, prompting them to add an optional journal entry. The app also uses daily “streaks” and achievements to incentivize user engagement and visual analytics to help users gain additional insight into their entries.
Moodfit is a comprehensive wellness app that allows users to customize their experience based on their mental health goals. Alongside its mood and gratitude journals, Moodfit provides users with meditation, breathwork, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, while helping them track activity, sleep, nutrition, and medications.
Reflectly sends users personalized prompts and daily notifications that ask users about their mood and their day. The app then uses AI to analyze users’ entries to help them identify mood patterns and opportunities for self-reflection and exploration.
Meditation and Mindfulness Apps
Although individuals have thousands of meditation and mindfulness apps, some of the most well-known mental health and wellness platforms are Headspace, Talkspace, and Calm. Talkspace is a fully remote mental health treatment platform that matches users with licensed providers in their state and offers a variety of treatment modalities and payment options.
Calm is a meditation and sleep support app that provides users with guided meditations, Sleep Stories, ambient music, and other immersive sounds and experiences to support mindfulness and quality sleep hygiene. The Headspace app uses evidence-based and clinically backed methods to help users practice mindfulness, meditation, and behavioral and emotional skills.
Common Features and Functions
With many options between engaging wellness apps and consumer mental health technologies, potential users and customers may have difficulty deciding which resources suit their needs. However, reading testimonials and reviews of products and mobile apps may be useful for deciding what works best for you. On the other hand, because many mobile apps are free, some trial and error may be necessary to find the right mental health monitoring platform for you.
Many mood-tracking and mindfulness apps provide templates or prompts as starting points for entries, while others only offer a platform to journal freely. These apps may also include push notifications that remind users to take a moment to practice some breathwork or reflect on their current mood.
Over time, some wellness monitoring apps will provide users with analytics and visual data on their entries and trends in mood or activity. Some platforms even allow users to export or share their data with their therapist or healthcare provider. In other cases, apps offer suggestions and resources regarding coping skills, symptom management, and finding treatment.
One key function many consumers look for in wearables and portable monitoring devices is the ability to connect their device to their smartphone or a mobile app. Smartwatches and wearable activity trackers, like Fitbit wristbands and Oura rings, offer real-time health monitoring and biofeedback that users can easily access with their phone, computer, or tablet.
Similar to the capabilities offered by mindfulness and wellness apps, wearable monitoring devices and their corresponding applications often provide users with analytics and additional insight into data recorded over time, encouraging more consistent use and engagement.
Challenges and Limitations
One overarching concern at the intersection of technology and mental health is obsolescence. While technology advances quickly, scientific research and clinical trials do not happen at such a pace; by the time researchers can assess the safety and efficacy of a new medical device, more novel and promising innovations may have already rendered the device in question outdated.
On the other hand, while mental health and wellness apps contain a wealth of information for users, they also contain multitudes of sensitive information from users. Data privacy is a significant concern regarding how app developers protect user data and ensure their health information is not disclosed to third-party organizations. This concern regarding data privacy also extends to telehealth services across various medical specialties.
While wearables and wellness apps are great ways to take a more active role in maintaining your well-being, remember that these resources should serve as supplements to your health. Always practice caution when receiving health advice that is not evidence-based, and consult a healthcare professional whenever you are considering implementing new technologies into your care routine.
Find Out More
At The Summit Wellness Group, we recognize that technology has assumed an irreversible role in the provision of mental health care and continues to change how we understand, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions. In our customized treatment plans for addiction, substance abuse, and other co-occurring disorders, we seek to incorporate innovative mental health technologies that are both clinically backed and suited to patient needs.
If you or a loved one are struggling with substance abuse or a co-occurring mental health disorder, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Contact us anytime to begin your journey toward recovery at (770) 830-3542 or ContactUs@TheSummitWellnessGroup.com.
