Mel is an ex-management consultant who now writes about the mental health economy and startup world. I invited her on the podcast to ask her about the latest trends in mental health tech and therapy, and where she thinks the industry is headed. Both of us are excited about the potential for new tech, drugs, and therapies to improve mental health, or at least make mental health treatments more accessible, but we’re also concerned that increasing access will reduce quality, and that the incentives of the startup world are misaligned with creating treatments or products that minimize harm to society. We also talk about whether AI chatbots will make good therapists, the appeal of Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), if psychedelics will lead to a religious revival, and whether humans liberated from social pressures and expectations end up more or less mentally healthy. I recommend Mental Disorder listeners/readers subscribe to Mel’s Substack, as there’s no better way to stay up to date with what’s going on in mental health.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Links:

* Mel’s Substack Headlines, her Twitter

* Winkler et al., “Startup Cerebral Soared on Easy Adderall Prescriptions. That Was Its Undoing.”

* Pi.Ai

* Schwarts & Schweezy, “Internal Family Systems Therapy: Second Edition.”

* Mel, “The Dark Side of the Shroom.”

* Contact (1997 Film)

* Jonah Davids, “Will Psychedelic Therapy Lead to a Religious Revival?”

* Mel, “Social Prescribing.”

* Jonah Davids, “Loneliness Isn’t a Public Health Problem.”

* The Economist, “Dramatic Growth in Mental-Health Apps has Created a Risky Industry.”

* Mel, “An Apple a Day.”

* Talkspace