How Mental Health Tech is Revolutionising Therapy Services: But Is It Safe?

According to Mind, only 1 in 8 people in the UK are receiving treatment for serious mental health conditions. This means that a shocking 87.5% of people with severe mental health challenges are not receiving support or essential therapies. 

NHS mental health services are notoriously slow, and private therapies are often prohibitively expensive; leaving the UK with a gaping social divide between those who can afford private treatment and those who can’t. 

While NHS provision has been stretched to breaking point, all is set to change through the burgeoning digital revolution in mental health therapies, provided by companies like SupportRoom. 

But can you trust online treatment, and how do you access it? 

This article explores how mental health tech companies are disrupting the traditional approach to mental health provision. We look at how technology can help improve access to affordable mental health services for all. 

Prevention is Better Than Cure

Over the past decade, a vast array of smartphone apps have emerged; designed to promote better mental health.

For example:

Wild Venture’s mindfulness app, Wild Journey, offers guided meditations to nurture deeper sleep and reduce anxiety; with a range of excellent free content, as well as In-App subscriptions. The app is rated 4.5/5 on the Apple App Store. User comments mention how the User Interface (UI) is calming and intuitive, and how it helps with sleep and anxiety conditions.  

Another popular meditation app, Calm, has 4.7/5 on the App Store. User reviews reveal how regular use of the app has minimised the symptoms of postnatal depression, anxiety, and depression for its users. 

Of course, these apps are a positive start and a safe introduction to digital mental health support; but they don’t offer two-way, talking therapies. 

So, while these apps are great for prevention, they’re not particularly useful as a treatment. 

We recommend:

When you’re choosing a digital solution for mental health conditions, be sure to refer to the user reviews before committing to a purchase. 

How The NHS have implemented mental health tech

The NHS has recently trialled a new technology developed by British mental health tech company, Cognomie. Using chatbot technology, the user completes an initial assessment using Cognosis (the name of the chatbot) to help assess their mental fitness. 

The outcome of the assessment helps the NHS recognise and identify treatment solutions. This helps them speed up diagnosis and overcome the problem of client volume overwhelming available provision. 

However, there’s only so much that an initial assessment can solve, and Cognosis can’t yet be used to administer treatment. 

So, while the technology speeds up the process of initial evaluation, 87.5% of potential patients still have to wait for face-to-face therapies to help minimise their conditions. 

Nonetheless; it’s a start. 

Are mental health technologies safe?

In terms of privacy and personal security, you should always read the Terms and Conditions of any app or online service you use. But that’s the same for all services provided through digital means. 

At SupportRoom, we wanted to ensure that our system is completely secure so that our clients can engage with our services with 100% reassurance.  

As such, we’ve invested heavily in banking-grade encryption technology to ensure that personal data remains secure and protected by all relevant GDPR and Data Protection policies.

We’ve also invested a tremendous amount of effort to ensure that we can offer fully encrypted and secure communications between our qualified therapists and each client. 

We’re nearly ready to go!

SupportRoom has been in development throughout 2020, and we’re nearly ready to revolutionise the way people access mental health services. 

While the NHS will always be the first point of contact for face-to-face mental health services, there’s a tragic number of people unable to access the services they need at a time when it’s most required. 

SupportRoom’s therapies will be available via smartphones, tablets, and desktop/laptop computers; using text messaging, voice messaging, and face-to-face video consultation for 24/7 coverage, 365 days-a-year. 

Mental health technologies mean that patients no longer need to wait weeks for an appointment. Treatment and access to qualified therapists are always-on with SupportRoom. When we launch, we’ll be ready to help at any time of day or night.

You don’t get that with traditional therapy. 

Register your interest

We’re nearly ready to go live. 

Register your interest with us today, and we’ll let you know as soon as we’re live.