More than 250 million people of all ages suffer from depression according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This condition often leads to other diseases and in many cases suicide. Depression affects the way people work, learn, and interact in society. 
Unlike with other medical conditions, there are a limited number of drugs that patients suffering from depression can use. However, this does not mean that no hope exists for those suffering from depression.
Advancements in technology and innovations in the mental health sector have brought about new ways to deal with and handle cases of depression.
In this article, you’ll be learning about some of the most promising innovations in mental health tech that can help patients.
Mental health apps
Today it looks like there is an app for almost everything. You can order a ride or breakfast with the clicks of a button while lying on your sofa. thanks to Mind Diagnostics You can also take care of your mental health by pressing buttons on your phone. There’s virtually nothing you can’t get online these days. Talking about mental health apps, there’re apps that attend to mental issues where you get urgent attention and care for all sorts of mental issues that you might be shy or afraid of sharing face to face with a Doctor. These mental health apps come with different features that meet the needs of different patients with different mental health problems ranging from depression, PTSD, OCD and more.
The creators of these apps made these with one goal in mind. That is the goal of making users feel happy and positive about their day.
AI-Powered and Smart devices
Aside from mobile phones and apps, smart devices can also be used in tracking mental health. These devices could include sensors or smartwatches that monitor a patient’s activities.
Although these sensors and smartwatches cannot get into a patient’s head, they can monitor external factors like heart and breath rates. With a record of heart and breath rate collected from these sensors, mental health experts will be able to tell how well a patient is doing.
The smartphones and sensors are usually connected to an app that allows you to monitor your progress over time.
Virtual meetings and treatment sessions
Mental health experts have been encouraging the use of video conferencing even before COVID-19 made it a thing.
This comes as no surprise because more people are suffering from depression or poor mental health than there are experts to treat them. For many, this means that they might not find any experts in the area where they live. So what do they do?
They find an expert online to book an online treatment session. Not only does this innovation save a lot of time and money, but it also helps patients feel more comfortable.
Aside from holding the treatment or therapy sessions through video, many experts also use voice or text.
Away from therapy sessions, people also find a lot of help from support groups. However, many people don’t want to meet with locals or people they are already familiar with, in these groups. And that is why virtual support groups work.
With a virtual support group, you get to be anonymous while expressing your concerns and sharing your journey with other members of the group. Members of the group will also get the same level of resources and materials that’d help improve their mental health.
Virtual-Reality Sessions
VR is not only useful in the gaming and entertainment industry. It is an innovation that promises to change how experts deal with their patient’s mental health.
Think of how experts can use VR to recreate images and scenery in a patient’s mind. Images aided with sounds that help people feel at ease. Imagine looking over a beautiful forest patch accompanied by birds tweeting, and the sound of a flowing stream. How soothing do you think that would be?
Virtual-reality devices can also be used in recreating an event that triggers a patient, except this time, the patient is in a more controlled environment. This form of treatment helps the patient to become used to the experience so much that it no longer triggers them.
Mental health-friendly workspaces
It is no news that most mental strains and stress come from the workplace. How about creating a workspace that helps to monitor a person’s mental wellbeing and report when there are any anomalies?
The Cube Comfort Monitors is one of such promising innovations in mental health.
With this innovation, you can adjust the lighting and temperature conditions of your workspace. This helps you not only become better at work but also helps to protect your mental health and wellbeing.
Conclusion
While we might still be waiting for the perfect drug to help deal with depression, some promising innovations will change how we handle mental health.
These innovations will make it easier for patients to recover from bouts of depression. And they will also equip mental health experts with enough information to handle cases of depression better.