A Teletherapy Startup Removes Barriers To Mental Health Care
waderoush writes "Is the digital age sending the old therapist's couch the way of the reference librarian, the CD, and the travel agent? Could be: several recent studies have found that therapy via the Internet is just as effective as face-to-face treatment. But it's taken online therapy startup Breakthrough about four years to convince venture investors and insurance companies that online therapy can remove many of the road blocks to mental health care, including the high cost, the social stigma, and the difficulty of access. So far, Breakthrough has partnered with 100 licensed psychiatrists and psychologists in Texas, California, Virginia, and Maryland; every provider on the site has a profile and a welcome video that allows potential clients to evaluate them before they even talk online. 'Now we have greater research supporting telemedicine, and people are more comfortable digitally,' says co-founder and CEO Mark Goldenson. 'I think the market is ready for it.'"
Seriously, why the hell hasn't this already been a thing? I regularly engage in therapy, 99% of it is just discussion. Very little, if any, would be unable to be reproduced digitally.
Eliza, is that you?
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Did anyone else at first misread that first word as "Telepathy?" Because a Telepathy-based start-up for addressing mental health issues... now THAT would be cool.
Yay! Now I won't have to leave the basement to get my prescription for my social anxiety! Thank you internet!
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
Oh, hey. Nice virtual presence device.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
several recent studies have found that therapy via the Internet is just as effective as face-to-face treatment.
In other words, not generally effective at all?
[citation needed]
I totally read that as "Telepathy Startup".
Unfortunately no therapy transacted over the internet or the telephone system can, these days, be said to abide by the confidentiality agreement the therapist is supposed to abide by.
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
I have family members that will find this very interesting; finding competent local mental health professionals has been difficult for a couple of them.
Thank you Slashdot.
BlameBillCosby.com
States and the education institutions that lobby them still want their cut from license fees and paid supervision hours. If you start providing therapy across state lines where the endpoints don't provide license reciprocity, you'd best hire a lawyer first.
"Love heals scars love left." -- Henry Rollins
Psychedelic psychotherapy is an interesting new field... combining it with online therapy might make for some interesting experiences!
(honestly yes, I am joking... please don't take that as a serious suggestion)
My book about LSD and Self-Discovery
Also on facebook as: DroppingAcidDaleBewan
I also see great value for those that aren't to that point yet.
And in the case of bipolar, the bad days where you're too depressed to leave the bed, let alone the house.
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
therapy via the Internet is just as effective as face-to-face treatment
Meaning, it still isn't very effective... but at least it is cheaper. Why not give it a try?
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
I don't know about therapy in general, but I did find some interesting material about pseudoscience in mental health.
Anecdotally, my parents sent me to a child psychologist when I was about 8, presumably because I wasn't handling their divorce the way they expected (I wasn't bothered by it because I knew everyone would be happier that way, which is apparently considered quite an odd attitude for a kid that age)... While I question the validity of sending a rather well-adjusted kid to such a professional, it was nice to have someone outside the family I could talk to about stuff.
I will say, though, the increasing prevalence in diagnosing children with previously unheard of conditions does seem to be an excuse to avoid taking responsibility by doping the poor little buggers out of their brains. Considering that most of the mass killings in recent history has been performed by people who have prescriptions for mood-altering drugs like Zoloft, it's fair to question the validity of today's mental health diagnosis, as well as the system in general.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Everybody who would like their private therapy sessions recorded and stored by the NSA raise their hands.
I thought that's what Cleverbot was for
How do you feel about that?
So when some poor nutjob calls their shrink and then offs themselves LIVE ON VIDEO OVER THE INTERNET, it'll take even LESS time for it to hit the sharing sites!
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
I looked up a better definition of hebephilia and Ephebophilia and your comment walks a fine line. The definition of both requires a strong preference for the respective developmental stage, not just an occasional thought. I have to wonder with the vagary in the definition of hebephilia if it includes what should be ephebophilia in the stats. The latter includes legal girls, and there are plenty that fit in the hebephilia age range that have all the biological cues as the technically legal ones.
In conclusion, looking at a high school girl and thinking "ohh, yeah. That looks nice" once in a while is not a mental problem, just nature fucking with you. A fixation on middle school girls is.
- Eddy
- I stole your sig.
I will postulate that online therapy is less intimidating then face to face therapy and therefore, more productive. In the future I will try to post something that is more controversial, I promise.
That's quite a claim! Can you back it up?
not contacted me.
Maybe the therapists ARE abiding by the agreement, but SOMEBODY else is illegally breaching that confidentiality? Toss some lawyers at the problem, they always sort it out. Heh, I can see it now - a massive hack to purge HIPAA sensitive data, while keeping all the other stuff.
Next up, if only nutcases have privacy, then terrorists will all become nutcases... oh, wait.
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
There's not much to indicate that DSM 5 is anything more than a money grab
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
http://www.ladailypost.com/content/brief-history-psychotropic-drugs-prescribed-mass-murderers
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
"several recent studies have found that therapy via the Internet is just as effective as face-to-face treatment"
:)
Recent studies have also shown that cyber-sex is just as effective as getting your girl friend to sit-on-your-face