Mental Health Tech Ethical Dilemmas

Emily Carroll, a fourth year medical student of Western Michigan School of Medicine, and aspiring psychiatrist, spoke to us about common ethical concerns in regard to mental health tech. We are quick to  agree to terms of service, but what are we actually agreeing to? Not only do we not read terms of service, but they are hard to understand. This could by why only 41% of people in the US trust devices that collect health data. We may not realize that we agreed to allow the company to sell "deidentified" data. Why is "deidentified" in quotes? Because it's surprisingly easy to analyze data and identify you! Laws clearly can't keep up with the rapid pace of technology growth and innovation. When tech grows too quickly, patients can find themselves in a situation where they are relying on technology for something, but their situation is far worse than when they originally began. Who will be monitoring their progression? How would tech developers manage urgent or emergent situations? 

#mentalhealth #ethics #tech #psychiatry #psychology #therapy #treatment #medicalstudent #futurepsychiatrypodcast #psychSIGN 

Host: Bruce Bassi MD

More resources, including a full transcript, can be found at our podcast website: https://www.telepsychhealth.com/futurepsychiatrypodcast/

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As always, the content is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. If you are having a medical or psychiatric emergency please contact 911.