Web- and Internet-Based Services: Education, Support, Self-Care, and Formal Treatment Approaches

Policy, practice and regulatory issues in mobile technology treatment for forensic clients

“…Health care users are also a rapidly growing market for mobile e-Health and e-Mental Health systems, with applications available to help service users self-manage their disease or condition, track health information, access information related to health conditions or treatments, communicate medical conditions to health care providers, interact with Personal Health Records (PHR) or Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems; and transfer and store medical device data. In addition to applications developed by formal health and mental health care agencies, users have access to an enormous range of mobile applications that allow users to track symptoms, participate in virtual support groups and treatment communities, and engage in forms of therapy and self-care (Mucic et al, 2016). The US Food and Drug Administration reports healthcare industry estimates that by 2018, 50% of the more than 3.4 billion smartphone and tablet users will have downloaded mobile health applications (US Food and Drug Administration, 2015).…”

New Frontiers in Healthcare and Technology: Internet-and Web-Based Mental Options Emerge to Complement In-Person and Telepsychiatric Care Options

“…VR can recreate sensory experiences, which include virtual taste, sight, smell, sound, and touch. There are VR platforms for games, entertainment, marketing, flight simulation, medical education and other fields, and now the virtual characters (avatar, virtual agent) and environments are being used to practice dynamic and real-life social interactions in a safe environment [30,110]. The virtual character (avatar) may be a graphical representation of the user or the user`s alter ego in 3D form; people are known to psychologically identify with virtual representations that do not necessarily reflect their actual appearances [111].…”

“…The virtual character (avatar) may be a graphical representation of the user or the user`s alter ego in 3D form; people are known to psychologically identify with virtual representations that do not necessarily reflect their actual appearances [111]. Moreover, the appearance of avatars can cause behavioral and attitudinal shifts that might positively influence current treatment or motivate individuals who were reluctant to that due to lack of insight or stigma [30].…”

“…This is driven by consumers or persons at-large, before they become patients in traditional services, and transitions our thinking from clinic-based care past patient-centered care to person-centered care known as participatory medicine [19][20][21]. MH-related, technology-based services exist on a continuum: self-help/support groups -well-prepared materials for patient psychoeducation and provider professional education -tips for assessment and selfcare (e.g., depression) -informal provider consultation online -asynchronous communication with providers -MH services with professionals like teleMH ((TMH) care or; Internet-based cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. …”

“…The virtual character (avatar) may be a graphical representation of the user or the user`s alter ego in 3D form; people are known to psychologically identify with virtual representations that do not necessarily reflect their actual appearances [111]. Moreover, the appearance of avatars can cause behavioral and attitudinal shifts that might positively influence current treatment or motivate individuals who were reluctant to that due to lack of insight or stigma [30].Virtual environments used in these approaches are either singleuser virtual environments (SVEs) or collaborative virtual environments (CVEs). In an SVE, a single user explores the virtual environment and responses from the environment or a virtual agent (avatar) must be preprogrammed.…”