Is Mental Health Getting Better or Worse?
Wearable tech that measures emotions. Digital systems that detect how you’re feeling from the sound of your voice. Technology is set to have an enormous impact on our psychological wellbeing, which has us wondering: is mental health getting better or worse?
In 2020, people are taking a much more active role in their mental health than ever before. We’ve finally moved away from the archaic perception of mental illness and acknowledged that our brains can become sick, just like any other organ. Psychologists and mental health researchers have started to explore how technology can assist in mental health care, with machines now affording a data-driven approach to psychiatry. Modern mental health care might mean tools that give us greater insight into someone’s brain function. Which can in turn identify the likelihood of that person developing depression, anxiety, or even dementia.
Of course, we need to remain mindful that these are only tools that must work in partnership with human touch and interaction.
Smart devices will allow clinicians to enhance the mental health of their patients, which will help those patients deal with life’s inevitable challenges and curve balls. However, individuals will still need to take some personal liability for their general well-being, won’t they? As Dr Robert Puff says, only we can prevent ourselves from having an “awesome life, no matter how dire our situation is”.
So If bad days are just as much our responsibility as good days, and if emotional AI is really coming, will mental health become something we only need to prevent rather than cure?
If you’re feeling in the dark, this latest episode from Futurists World brings together the brightest discussions on mental health and happiness. Watch on as Dom Price, Thimon de Jong, Dr Rob Grenfell and Dr Robert Puff talk the future of mental health.
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