In the days after Hurricane Fiona, Dr. Brenda Rivera-García sat at home without electricity, water and Wi-Fi in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was stuck listening to the hum of generators powering households across the neighborhood, drowning out the cheerful coquis that chirp throughout the night. The sad hum, the droning "lullaby," mirrored the island's collective grief, Rivera-García … [Read more...]
How Consumers and Health Care Providers Can Judge the Quality of Digital Mental Health Tools
A burgeoning industry of apps and wearables must voluntarily put in place standards to ensure its products and services are based on solid evidence for their effectiveness. More than 10,000 apps in the Apple and Google Play stores claim to treat psychological difficulties, and the list doesn’t stop with downloads for your smartphone. Wearables, artificial intelligence software, augmented and … [Read more...]
The intersection of COVID-19 and mental health
[Reprinted: The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 10-8-2020] On Oct 6, 2020, WHO published the results of a survey of the impact of COVID-19 on mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) services in 130 WHO Member States, ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct 10. The survey revealed that most countries are experiencing some disruption to MNS services, with the greatest impact on community-based … [Read more...]