A smartphone app that supports online therapy

A smartphone app that supports online therapy

by | Aug 4, 2020 | Blog

Monsenso offers a smartphone app that supports online therapy by enabling users to share valuable health data with their therapists in real-time.

What is online therapy used for?

Online therapy, also called e-therapy or teletherapy has many advantages and it gives users access to therapy services offered by mental healthcare providers from the comfort of their home. Therapists can use one of the many secure platforms available to connect with their patients through video conference, phone calls or chat functionality.  It also helps reach people who have very busy schedules and can’t spare the commute, or those are not too comfortable with face to face appointments.

Online therapy can be effective to treat many mood and behavioural disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.  In fact, according to research led by McMaster University online therapy can be more effective than in person.

Just as in traditional therapy, it is important that the goals of online therapy are created by both, the therapist and the client.

Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a tool used to treat a number of mental and physical health issues, and due to its flexibility, CBT online offers many of the benefits found in the face-to-face model. CBT is widely available online, so people experiencing unwanted symptoms linked to anxiety, depression, and other conditions should view it as a viable option to treat their overall well-being.

Online Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)  is a type of therapy that primarily involves skills training such as mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance to assist individuals to better manage emotional distress. It also provides problem-solving strategies to identify and alter harmful behaviors and replace them with constructive ones.

An app that supports online treatment

Before using the Monsenso smartphone app to support his therapy, Peter Hagelund, followed the typical therapeutic setting. His psychiatrist would schedule an appointment every two-three weeks, and they would discuss Peter’s previous weeks.  On most occasions, Peter would say that he had been doing fine, but sometimes he forgot important details that he wanted to discuss.

Now, instead of relying on Peter’s memory during the consultation, his psychiatrist can access his data and see how he has been doing, as it happened. He can view how much he has sleept, how much he exercises, how much he drinks, the levels of anxiety he has, and other relevant aspects to his treatment and his disorder.

Mads Trier-Blom, another Monsenso user, said that the app helps him to be more connected with his clinician, Bente, who intervenes when she can see that he is not feeling well, to help him avoid having an episode.

Psychiatrist Kristoffer Södersten from PsykiatriResurs in Sweden says that the accuracy from a diagnosis obtained can very much depend on many factors such as cultural background and how comfortable the patient is in the conversation. Therefore, it can be very arbitrary the diagnosis a patient receives.

The information gathered from the Monsenso smartphone app helps him get a consistent and clearer view of an individual’s mental health. He finds the Monsenso mHealth solution to be particularly helpful in capturing relevant objective data. The solution provides a comprehensive and easily accessible overview of relevant patient data, such as the individual’s overall day score, his mood, the number of hours he slept, and if he took his medication.  The smartphone app also collects sensor data, such as physical activity, social activity, phone usage and voice features which helps to supplement the subjective data provided.

The Monsenso mHealth solution has helped mental healthcare providers to get an overview of an individual’s historical data and correlation analysis. It also helps them identify the triggers and early warning signs everyone has, enabling them to intervene at an early stage before they have an episode, such as in the case of Mads.

Besides, the smartphone app helps users to be more aware of their mood, their symptoms and the reason why these symptoms appear. It also provides them with useful skill-training content to help them deal with stressful situations.

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A smartphone app that can help psychiatrists diagnose mental illness

A smartphone app that can help psychiatrists diagnose mental illness

by | Jul 27, 2020 | Anxiety, Bipolar, Blog, Customer Stories, Depression, Mental Illness, mHealth

“A smartphone app that can help psychiatrists diagnose mental illness” –  Peter Hagelund, a Monsenso user, speaks about his experience using the Monsenso mobile health solution to support his treatment, and how it has helped  him improve the communication with his psychiatrist.

Prior to using the Monsenso smartphone app, Peter and his psychiatrist followed the typical therapeutic setting, they would schedule an appointment every two-three weeks, and they would have a conversation to discuss Peter’s previous weeks.  Peter would usually say that he had been doing fine for each appointment, but sometimes he forgot important details that he wanted to discuss.

“It can be pretty tricky to remember, two weeks later [between appointments] how you actually felt that day. With the app it’s really easy to go back and see if your mood has been pretty stable over the last two months, or if you had had some ups and downs over a period,” says Peter Hagelund.

Now, instead of relying on Peter’s memory during the appointment, his psychiatrist can access his data and see how he has been doing, as it happened. He can view how much he has been sleeping, how much he exercises, how much he drinks, how much anxiety he has, and other relevant aspects to his treatment and his disorder.

“My psychiatrist now says things like You say you’ve been doing fine, but I can actually see that you’ve had a few ups and downs. I think the app helps him get a real view of how I have been doing,” says Peter Hagelund.

In his Danish documentary series “Jeg savner min sygdom” (which translates to “I miss my illness”), Peter Hagelund talks about his experience of getting the wrong diagnosis and how finally after six years he got the right diagnosis and treatment. 

In 2014, he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 2.

During his whole life, he knew there was something different about him. He always struggled with depression and anxiety, and what eventually turned out to be hypomania. When he was 22, he had his first big episode of depression and began taking antidepressants. However, it took six more years before he was officially diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 2.

He says that one of the trickiest things about having this diagnosis is that he does not experience the typical manic episode where a person feels over-energetic and nearly psychotic. Instead, he feels hypomanic, which means that he is socially well functioning. He is not psychotic. He just feels really well; the problem with this, was that he didn’t feel the need to inform his psychiatrist the fact that he was feeling too well. 

His psychiatrist found out that he had Bipolar Disorder was because he couldn’t come out of his depression. At first, he was diagnosed with depression and ADD. But these diagnoses didn’t seem to fit because he still had strong mood swings and a lot of anxiety. When he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 2, it actually made sense to him. Suddenly, he could see why he had felt the way he had most of his life.

“I really believe that the Monsenso smartphone app could have helped my psychiatrist give me the right diagnosis at an earlier stage because the app helps me to keep track of my mood and to become more aware of how I feel. With the app, I have to pause and take a moment to think about how I’ve actually been doing before entering my answers. Keeping track of all this information has helped my treatment. My psychiatrist and I can plan better on how to avoid my future depressive or hypomanic episodes because we can clearly identify when I am having mood swings”. says Peter Hagelund.  

In August 2018, his documentary about living with Bipolar Disorder aired on national Danish television and the response was overwhelming. Many people contacted him, to thank him for talking about his illness. He made the documentary so other people who have this illness, do not feel ashamed of it.

“My hope is that in the future people are diagnosed at an earlier stage than I was and I truly believe the Monsenso app is one of the things that can help. I really hope that other psychiatrists and their patients will start using the app,” he added.

Click here to read this story in Danish.

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Online therapy can be more effective than in person, according to research

Online therapy can be more effective than in person, according to research

by | Jul 22, 2020 | Blog

Online therapy can be more effective than in person, according to research led by McMaster University.

Based on randomized control trials, the systematic review and analysis revealed that cognitive behavioural therapy that connected therapists and patients through such modes as web-based applications, video-conferencing, email and texting, improved patients’ symptoms better than face to face when measured using standardized mood symptoms scales. As well, there was no difference in the level of satisfaction or function between the two methods of delivery.

The details were published in EClinicalMedicine, published by The Lancet.

“Although this study started before the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is timely and assuring that treatment delivered electronically works as well if not better than face to face and there is no compromise on the quality of care that patients are receiving during this stressful time,” said corresponding author Zena Samaan, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at McMaster and a psychiatrist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Using online therapy to treat patients with geographical limitations

Cognitive behavioural therapy is a type of psychotherapy widely used to treat depression. However, limited resource availability poses several barriers to patients seeking access to care, including lengthy wait times and geographical limitations.

In this evidence review, researchers identified 17 randomized control trials comparing therapist-supported cognitive behavioural therapy delivered electronically to face to face cognitive behavioural therapy. The studies were conducted between 2003 and 2018 in the United States, Australia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Samaan said the findings of the meta-analysis debunk widely-held perceptions about psychotherapy.

“The common understanding was that face to face psychotherapy has the advantage of the connection with the therapist and this connection is in part what makes the difference in treatment,” she said.

“However, it is not surprising that electronic interventions are helpful in that they offer flexibility, privacy and no travel time, time off work, transport or parking costs. It makes sense that people access care, especially mental health care, when they need it from their own comfort space.”

Samaan noted that the findings support advocacy and widespread implementation of electronic cognitive behavioural therapy.

“Electronic options should be considered to be implemented for delivering therapy to patients,” she said. “This can potentially vastly improve access for patients, especially those in rural or under-served areas, and during pandemics.”

This article was published originally by Science Daily, click here to view it.

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Getting started with mHealth technology for mental health

Getting started with mHealth technology for mental health

by | Jul 15, 2020 | Blog, mHealth

Getting started with mHealth technology for mental health can seem like a daunting process even though it has proven to bring many benefits to medical practice such as improving medication adherence, increase patient engagement and improve health outcomes in a cost-efficient way.  Therefore, the sooner healthcare providers embrace this technology, the better.

Luckily, mHealth technology does not only offer benefits for patients, but it also solves many of today’s healthcare challenges, since it provides healthcare providers with the scalability to treat more patients with fewer resources.

In spite of the clear benefits, many healthcare providers, have not yet fully embraced mHealth technology due to several reasons:

  • Lack of budget
  • Uncertainty about choosing the right tool
  • Uncertainty about the ease-of-use
  • Uncertainty if it will, in fact, make a difference

Luckily, Monsenso is committed to helping healthcare providers overcome these obstacles.

Lack of Budget: A lack of budget may seem like the largest impediment to acquiring digital health tools. However, this type of tool should be considered as a valuable investment, since it enables providers to treat and monitor more patients with fewer resources. Besides, all healthcare professionals may have access to the same patient data even when their main practitioner is not available.

Uncertainty about choosing the right tool: Choosing the right tool may be confusing because the functionality greatly varies among the different suppliers. One thing is certain, providers need to choose an mHealth solution rather than a health app since the later does not allow information-sharing between patients and providers. Other criteria should include looking for a solution that is technically and clinically validated, is well-established in the market, and it holds relevant certifications such as the one given to the medical device companies, CE Mark and other ISO certifications.

Uncertainty about the ease-of-use: UI and UX have evolved considerably during the last few years, therefore the product development team of any serious company offering an mHealth solution, will take into consideration these principles to ensure the product provides a meaningful and relevant experience to users in terms of design, usability and function. It is as simple as booking a product demo or requesting a free trial to ensure that the desired solution is intuitive and easy to use for doctors and patients alike.

Uncertainty if it will, in fact, make a difference: Perhaps, this may seem the hardest obstacle to overcome. Would this thing actually work? Although no one can guaranty if a tool will work for a specific medical practice, there is a precedent that this technology actually works. According to a recent study conducted by McMaster University, online therapy can be more effective than in person. You can also read third-party validations to give you confidence in your choice.

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mHealth solutions can improve health outcomes in a cost-efficient way

mHealth solutions can improve health outcomes in a cost-efficient way

by | Jul 8, 2020 | Blog, mHealth

MHealth solutions can improve health outcomes in a cost-efficient and scalable way. They assist healthcare professionals with the management and documentation of medical records, help improve productivity and allow access to information.

These tools also help healthcare professionals to communicate findings and reduce error rates, not to mention the reduction of overall healthcare costs. Mobile solutions can also facilitate the treatment process, automate management systems and manage patient experience.

They use sophisticated data analytics and mobile technologies to help provide the best care possible, at a lower cost, anytime, anywhere. Cloud-based solutions are gaining prominence as data is stored on the internet for easy access, removing the need for storing the data locally. New mobile applications integrate patient data with geo-location information stored on the cloud.

Mobile apps facilitate better and easier health management through simple applications like exercise trackers, diet, and calorie-counting, among others.

Now more than ever, due to budget constraints and a shortage of qualified personnel, healthcare providers are looking for new ways to reduce administrative processes, improve productivity, and enable clinicians to spend more time on patient care rather than processing paperwork. With this in mind, organisations are looking into migrating from paper-based to paperless systems.

Mobile data-capturing solutions are beneficial for healthcare professionals and patients alike since they improve workflows and enable clinicians to spend more time seeing patients.

MHealth solutions enable healthcare professionals to access patient information more efficiently, ensuring patients receive better care, even if their primary clinician is not available.

Furthermore, communities are looking to form multi-sector collaborations that support their ability to better understand and tackle the social determinants of health. There is a growing need to build capacity beyond the healthcare sector and to find new ways to integrate data from multiple areas to improve community health.

MHealth solution help provide coordinated care

For people with complex health issues, such as those with a severe mental illness, the coordination of medical and community services can significantly improve their quality of life.

These individuals often require the most costly treatment and care. Therefore, many communities are aiming to link the available data between social services and clinical services to provide more comprehensive care.

Using aggregated data to improve community health

Linking aggregated data from different sources may reveal information about a particular population group, enabling healthcare providers to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the health factors in a specific community.

 Measuring health at a more detailed level allows decision-makers from the public healthcare system to recognise differences, plan more effective interventions, and monitor a particular group over time.

MHealth solutions enable the re-use of research health data to drive healthcare initiatives

Academic institutions and non-profit organisations continuously conduct research on specific patient-groups. Since these organisations collect and analyse health-and-behavioural-related data on vulnerable populations, this data could be re-used to address related issues and to drive new healthcare initiatives and policies.

 In addition to these points, data encryption ensures that all patient information is kept strictly private and protected at all times. International laws require that every organisation accessing patient information should adhere to strict confidentiality conditions.

Reference:

Mobile Health (mHealth) Market – Industry, Trends, Opportunities and Forecasts.

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Improve the way you work with your mental health patients

Improve the way you work with your mental health patients

by | Jul 1, 2020 | Blog

Mobile health technology can be used to support important decision making in diagnosis and treatment, especially in the field of mental health. It can empower patients by involving them in their own treatment and by providing them with the tools needed to help them manage their own disorder. Monsenso is leading the way in making technology an integral and useful part of mental health treatment.

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Imagine a session with your patient in which you have an overall picture of their mood, sleep, and medication adherence and can ask questions relating to their current mental state.  You can view patient self-assessment data that will give you a better idea of how they have been doing day-to-day, giving you a better understanding of their mood over time. With this, your questions in the session can be more relevant, and you can more quickly identify important topics.

What you just read is a possibility when taking advantage of today’s technology. In the Monsenso app, patients are asked to fill out a quick, daily self-assessment or weekly questionnaires. They may for instance be asked to rate their sleep, mood or activity. They will be able to follow their own progress and become more aware of how the choices they make impact their mental state. What is more is that you can see exactly what your patients input through accessing the clinical web-portal. This knowledge can help you in the process of diagnosing or finding the most effective medication for an individual more quickly. Clinicians using the system say that the solution can be compared to a “mental X-ray,” which may even allow you to do early interventions, as you can see which patients are beginning to experience a negative state or even a relapse.

One healthcare professional who uses the Monsenso solution says: “During conversations with my patients, I always start with the data in the system. It is a great icebreaker that allows me to skip asking certain questions. Now, our conversations are facilitated by the information available in the system.”

The Monsenso solution empowers patients to be more involved in their own treatment. In between sessions they may use relevant features when they are facing a challenging situation, whether it is restructuring negative thoughts using our mobile CBT thought feature or learning more about their disorder or treatment plan in the psychoeducation library.

A patient living with bipolar disorder finds the solution beneficial in managing their disorder: “It made me more aware of how my sleep pattern influences my mood. In my life with this disorder I see myself as a tightrope walker, and this metaphor for living with bipolar disorder is very meaningful. You have to prevent losing control either to depression or to mania. You are able to avoid that by earlier registration on how your mood is fluctuating, so therefore the app helps to keep you in control of your life…”

We believe it is time for technology to ease the burden on clinicians and provide opportunities that are not available when everything is handled in the old paper-pencil way. If you too think technology needs to become more widely used in the treatment and is ready to embrace it, Monsenso will be there helping you all the way.

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