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When tech DOES help your mental health: How to use technology for self-care and mindfulness



Digital health (or e-health) is using technology to help improve individuals' health and wellness. It the use of technology for tasks such as digital record-keeping, online booking systems, online repeat prescriptions, and some more innovative uses of technology for direct treatment. We take a look at the way technology can help with mental health.


Pub quizzes have been an extremely popular option, often carried out between friends and families over video chats, allowing a chance for people to feel connected. Work videos are a great way to stay fit but also help with mental health, often helping reduce anxiety and depressions.




When tech DOES help your mental health




There are a wide variety of apps that can help with mental health, such as apps that occupy your mind, relieve stress, or track your mood. For example, meditation apps can offer exercises to improve breathing and help the ability to relax and improve sleep.


Research has shown that people with a diagnosed mental health problem have an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour, but the stigma associated with discussing mental health problems often means many people avoid seeking help resulting in an estimated 36% of mental health conditions remaining undiagnosed.


While there's a lot of negative press around about the impact of social media, for example, on mental health, technology can also be a force for good. AbilityNet believes in a digital world that's accessible to all. We work to help make technology accessible to disabled and older people at home, at work and in higher education. Here are our tips for World Mental Health Day.


There are many apps around that can help you in terms of monitoring causes of stress and anxiety, and helping you to improve your mental health. We list five apps for improving mental health. Our list includes an overview of the Stay Alive app a free, nationwide suicide prevention pocket resource, packed full of useful information to help you stay safe. Their vision is that no one has to contemplate suicide alone, the app is designed to be a lifeline for people at risk of suicide.


DSA can provide a tailored package of technology and non-medical support to help you succeed in your studies. This could include a computer or laptop, or a printer/scanner to save travelling to the library during periods of ill health. You may find it useful to have software or apps to record lectures and seminars to ensure you have taken in all the information.


Time to Change aims to change attitudes to mental health and to reduce stigma. It has a variety of practical advice for employers, and employees. For disabled people, simple workplace adjustments can help improve your workplace physically and mentally. AbilityNet has a variety of tools and services to help on how to make reasonable workplace adjustments for employees and employers.


Want to talk about student mental health with your group or department? We can do that for you and our experts will come to you! Our Outreach Presentations are provided to the campus community, and consist of multiple offerings that are available by request if you are a faculty, staff, or student group leader.


The information contained throughout these pages is not intended to substitute for actual counseling or other psychological services. To connect with a counselor, please refer to the other pages on this site for more information about our services. Self-help resources and external links may provide useful information about topics relevant to counseling and mental health, their listing here, however, does not indicate endorsement by the Center for Mental Health Care & Resources.


Pantic further explained that a number of recent studies have observed a link between social media use and certain mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. Pantic is quick to assert, however, that the studies are by no means conclusive and that endeavors to understand the relationship between mental health and technology remain in their infancy.


Despite progress in terms of mental health awareness, journalist Conor Farrington, writing for the Guardian, explained how mental health care still receives a notable lack of funding from international governments. For example, Farrington reported that the per capita expenses on mental health care in industrialized nations such as the U.S. and U.K. amounts to just over $33, which equates to a little under 33. The amount is considerably less in developing countries. Consequently, Farrington argued that technology holds promise as a vehicle for improving access to mental health care, particularly in nations where such services are elementary at best.


Mental health counselors can play an important role in facilitating access to services such as Big White Wall and also can help promote smartphone apps and other online services that can be used to help improve general mental health. Technology can be used alongside in-person counseling, as opposed to being employed as a substitution. Counselors even may find that digital platforms allow the development of deeper working relationships with clients, particularly younger clients who are used to utilizing technology on a daily basis. Bethany Bay, writing in an article for Counseling Today, interviewed Sarah Spiegelhoff, a counselor from Syracuse, N.Y., who elaborated on this important point:


The impact of technology has extended into the realm of health care, and it is clear that technology also is making positive changes in terms of mental health care. Research has indicated, however, that the very tools that can help alleviate mental health issues, such as smartphone apps, may be linked with the experience of mental health problems in different contexts. As Pantic stressed, more research is needed before definitive conclusions are drawn. Still, for mental health counselors entering the field, a comprehensive understanding of the nuanced relationship between technology and mental health is necessary for effective practice. Counselors are compelled to expand their technological competencies but always in compliance with their respective ethical guidelines and the rule of law.


Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. Some of the topics covered include depression, anxiety disorder, and substance-use disorders.


AKUA Mind and Body offers detoxification, intensive treatment, and outpatient treatment programs. AKUA Mind and Body uses a blend of holistic approaches combined with evidence-based treatment to help individuals affected by substance use and mental health disorders recognize their underlying triggers and develop healthy coping skills. Regardless of where you are in your recovery process, AKUA Mind and Body can help.


Program Learning OutcomesDescribe symptoms of frequently encountered behavioral health disorders.Implement and contribute to the formation of treatment plans.Communicate patient/client behaviors, symptoms, and needs to treatment team.Demonstrate appropriate helping skills for mental health settings.Articulate basic concepts for therapeutic interaction with clients/patients in behavioral health settings.Articulate an understanding of the role and boundaries of mental health service providers.Analyze ethical, value, and legal requirements associated with mental health treatment.Describe responses sensitive to members of various cultural, sexual, and religious groups.


In our ever-changing world, the use of technology is continuously expanding. It influences every area of our lives, from our ability to communicate with loved ones to accessing information at our fingertips. Unfortunately, we have also seen a number of negative effects of technology on mental health as well.


While not all mental health concerns among young people can be linked to technology, it is important to recognize the vast amount of children who are impacted by these issues. Research finds that 1 in every 5 children between the ages 13-18 have, or will have, a serious mental illness before they reach adulthood. Within this group of children:


It may be nearly impossible to avoid technology in all forms, but it is important to monitor your kids and limit the amount of time spent on social media or looking at a screen. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends less than one to two hours of entertainment screen time per day for children and discourages the use of any screen media by children under two years of age. Additionally, using screens for communicating with friends and loved ones may be beneficial for some children and teenagers, but it is important that parents monitor this use to ensure that it is positive. It is recommended that parents and caregivers use technology alongside children and youth, and engage them in discussions about safe and healthy media use. This can help your child create healthier habits when it comes to using technology and social media that will benefit them in the future.


Students crave more coping strategies and more connection with their peers. We are growing our vetted library of online info and tools, expanding access to our popular supportive groups, and creating new classes to learn more about mental health. These help to promote autonomy and empowerment to build on students' strengths.


Our mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects howwe think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and makechoices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescencethrough adulthood.Over the course of your life, if you experience challenges with your mental health, your thinking, mood, andbehavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health, including: 2ff7e9595c


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