Blog 1 Abbi Herrold

I have found this first week of class to be very interesting since the concept of e-mental health is completely new to me. While we use technology every day for everything from checking a message, to completing our coursework, to buying our textbooks. I am still kind of awestruck by the use of technology to help aid in the treatment of mental illness. I am hesitant yet intrigued about this technological advancement. On one hand I see many benefits of e-mental health: increased access to those in rural communities and to those without reliable transportation, less stigma associated with seeking help for one's mental illness, and more time and cost effective care. I see why this works. As a patient I think it is something that I would be willing to try, but as a future clinician I feel as if I would be hesitant to provide care for a patient via a telephone or webcam. How can you be sure a video conference is truly private or would your patient be more willing to share information if they were sitting in the same room as you? I think all change brings a little unease to most people.

I feel as both patient and future clinician that a hybrid of e-mental health and traditional healthcare would be the most comfortable for me. As a patient I would be comfortable making appointments, receiving secure messages, and completing questionnaires/screenings online. I think as a patient I would be more willing to open up about my past mental health history, symptoms, etc. if I could just check a box online instead of feeling rushed in a doctor's office or waiting room. As a future clinician I think I would be comfortable communicating results and accessing files through the use of the telephone and the internet, however I don't think I would want to diagnose somebody or complete therapy sessions through the use of a telephone or video camera.These everyday things that doctors and clinicians do seem to me as if they must be done through a person to person interaction.


I am very excited to see what other advancements technology has brought or may bring to mental health throughout the course of this class. Since I am not studying public health or consumer science I have never really had to think about the best way to provide a product to a consumer. However, in my personal experiences and life goals I have always wondered what all possible resources are for those struggling with mental illness. I hope that this course will give me more insight to this and perhaps it will even spark some new ideas.