The Digital Transformation of Mental Health
2018-08
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
The Digital Transformation of Mental Health
Authors
Published Date
2018-08
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
The United States is experiencing a mental healthcare crisis. Alongside growing numbers of mental illness diagnoses we are also faced with the problems of practitioner scarcity, the geographic remoteness of populations in need of mental healthcare, and prohibitive costs for services that might otherwise be within reach. A potential solution to these problems, many technologists, healthcare workers, and others believe, is the integration of technology into the delivery of mental healthcare. This dissertation explores the emergence of a field that seeks to do just that, that I term the digital mental health industry, and which encompasses three areas: telemedicine, applications, and artificial intelligence. Despite the interest that the digital mental health industry attracts, as of yet there has been little study of it unto itself. This project provides not only an examination of the technologies it relies upon, but also its workers’ beliefs as well as the field’s broader social and medical effects. Methodologically this dissertation utilizes a combination of fieldwork, interviews, and textual analysis to tell the story of how the digital mental health industry came to be, how it is changing what it means to be mentally ill or healthy, and how technology mediates processes of self-care.
Description
University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2018. Major: Communication Studies. Advisor: Laurie Ouellette. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 205 pages.
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Bedor Hiland, Emma. (2018). The Digital Transformation of Mental Health. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/216799.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.