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Virtual Psychiatrist Essay

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One of the most critical areas of progress for biotechnology is in diagnostics these days, and new diagnostic medical technology has captured a lot of attention because it’s being used to streamline the diagnostic processes for the seemingly least likely health conditions. Now, new research adds autism to that list, and that opens the door to all sorts of diagnostic medtech for neurological conditions. In India, where there is a very significant psychiatrist shortage, medtech that enhances diagnoses for mental illness is incredibly valuable. India’s psychiatrist shortage means that mental illness often goes undiagnosed in rural areas, and patients, therefore, are less likely to get the right treatment for their conditions. A so-called …show more content…

CDSS covered 18 mental disorders that were most commonly observed: psychosis delirium, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, dysthymia, dementia, panic disorder, mania, obsessive-compulsive disorder, somato form disorder, phobias, dissociative disorder, severe stress response and adjustment disorder, alcohol dependence, neurasthenia, substance dependence, sexual dysfunctions and mental retardation. “Mental health care is mostly unavailable or inaccessible in most parts of the country. About 90% [of] patients in need of psychiatric treatment do not get it due to lack of psychiatrists. One system fills that gap by creating a virtual psychiatrist,” according to lead researcher Savita Malhorta. The lack of psychiatrists appears to be making India the leader in what might be a burgeoning trend in medical diagnostic technology worldwide. The U.S. is already making similar progress but from a different angle, given that America isn’t pressed by a dearth of psychologists to fill in any particular gap. Micah Mazurek, in fact, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Virginia, and she’s been laboring over a project in the Curry School of Education—a Virginia University

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