Using Data to Better Understand Patients and Their Mental Health

SAN DIEGO—Data has the power to give mental health clinicians a better understanding of patients and their well-being, and today’s technology can easily collect and disseminate that data, physician and entrepreneur Arshya Vahabzadeh, MD, told attendees at the opening session of Psych Congress 2019.

Dr. Vahabzadeh, chief medical officer of the neurotechnology company Brain Power, is director of addiction services at Cynergi Health, a part-time correctional psychiatrist and telepsychiatrist, and innovation officer at Massachusetts General Hospital Academy. 

Only 1 in 2 people who need mental health care receive it, suicide rates are increasing, and psychiatric conditions are impairing people early in their lives and shortening their life span by 1 to 2 decades, he said in explaining the need for improved mental health care.

He questioned whether inefficient rating scales are leading clinicians to miss subtle conditions present in patients. In depression, for example, the 7 most commonly used scales assess 52 symptoms, with only 6 of them occurring in all scales, and 21 appearing in only 1 scale.

“So what are we even measuring if we don’t have this agreement in our most commonly used research instruments, these gold standard instruments?” he asked, noting that 227 different symptom combinations can result in a major depressive disorder diagnosis under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

“How do we push and change things so we understand our patients and their conditions in a better way?” he said. “We need a data-driven approach.”

More from Dr. Vahabzadeh: How Technological Advances Could Transform Psychiatry

The proliferation of smartphones and other “smart” devices, the miniaturization of technology, and the growth in computing power mean allow that data to not only be collected but also to be analyzed, the speaker said.

“We’ve never really been at a better time. Why? Because all of us, almost, have these supercomputers in our pockets, enabling us to do things on the go that historically would have taken huge computers,” he said. “Never before have we been so connected, globally … and never before have we had such amazing computing power.”

Mental health clinicians traditionally rely on patients to recall and relay their symptoms, which could result in bias and error, he said. In addition to continuously collecting collect data on patients, devices can immediately modify interventions in response to changing symptoms as well.

Dr. Vahabzadeh also presented an overview of the various technologies now being used within psychiatry and those expected to play a role in the future.

Also from Psych Congress 2019: Exploring the Role of GABA in Psychiatric Treatment

Telepsychiatry is already booming, he said, and has improved access to care for the 80% of rural America that is underserved. Chatbots are showing early signs of value, and some digital therapeutics have been shown to be effective.

Artificial intelligence will have a growing role in the next few years, he said, along with virtual reality, social media, and natural language processing. Augmented reality is expected to become more relevent after that, with genotyping and neuroimaging having an impact in 8 to 10 years.

Psych Congress Steering Committee member Steven Chan, MD, MBA, said most technology talks explore specific tools in-depth, but Dr. Vahabzadeh tied many things together to show how clinicians can use it to provide care across different settings.

“Dr. Vahabzadeh gave such a comprehensive overview of how technology can change the way we practice and shape the future of care delivery and improve people’s quality of life,” Dr. Chan said. “He also highlighted some of the dangers of technology, like privacy, security and issues with data and how will this data will be used.”

Edward Kaftarian, MD, another member of the Psych Congress Steering Committee and a leader in the field of telepsychiatry, said his biggest takeaway from the talk was "that we are in the midst of a revolution in health care technology that is transforming the way we diagnose and treat mental illness."

"New technologies will give us access to a wealth of clinical data which will enhance our ability to monitor patient progress and adjust our treatment plans accordingly," he said.

Clinicians can join the technology revolution by trying out telepsychiatry, Dr. Kaftarian said.

"Telepsychiatry has already proven to be an excellent way to provide access to care to underserved populations. It also fosters a rewarding work/life balance for clinicians," he said.

"We are also finding that telepsychiatry helps clinicians think about health care delivery in a whole new way. To stay relevant and effective, we the clinicians must embrace innovation so we can direct it in a way that best serves our patients."

—Terri Airov

Reference

“Future psychiatry: a technological and neuroscientific convergence.” Presented at Psych Congress 2019: San Diego, CA; October 3, 2019.