Some of these changes are positive and some not so much. Today, I was reading a medical news story from Reuters. This particular piece was discussing the state of mental health in Europe, specifically how best to initially diagnose someone with a mental illness.
A new internet software program is being used in the Netherlands to conduct initial diagnostic interviews, without a clinician present. Proponents of this program believe that people will be more truthful due to the supposed privacy.
Also, they claim that the results of the electronic assessment system are as valid as a face to face clinical interview. The news story from Reuters Health can be found here if you want to read it in its entirety.
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Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Luddite. I use technology all the time when I’m using various behavioral therapy techniques with people, however, we need to be careful to not allow a tool to replace the tool user because technology is changing us and the way we think, feel and react.
Recently, I bought some college lecture CDs on effective communication skills (it’s always good to review the basics every so often). The lectures reminded me how so much of human communication (the vast majority in fact) is transmitted through body language. For instance, several times while working with people, I have asked them, “how are you feeling?”
The response to this question sometimes is a somber, deadpan-faced (what we in counseling would call ‘flat affect’) “okay.” Now, folks, “okay” can mean anything from “life is pretty good” to “I’ve been considering suicide lately.”
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As a clinician, body language can tell me what “okay” really means. What’s more, is that even after completing this online questionnaire, the respondent usually does not see a mental health clinician in person, the next phase is normally conducted by telephone.
A mental health specialist will consult with the respondents about their answers to the assessment, again, missing out on all of that critical information revealed via body language (that being said, I have also witnessed medical professionals in the past that merely read a list of questions and never once look up at the person being interviewed, as the clinician ticks off the answers).
Unfortunately, due to the lack of mental health specialists around the world, tools such as this are going to become more commonplace. As I said earlier, I’m all for technology, when it is used as a tool to enhance counseling. Such a tool might be useful for educational purposes in my mind but NOT for treatment purposes.
What do you think, would you prefer an online assessment or one done face to face with a professional? Do you think technology is changing us?
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