This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health, MindCare 2019, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in April 2019. The 22 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 38 submissions and present new paradigms in mental healthcare, in parallel with compelling questions about how it is possible to promote and structure these changes to improve physical well-being.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health, MindCare 2018, held in Boston, MA, USA, Jin January 2018. The 19 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 30 submissions and present advanced computing and communication technologies from the use of wearable sensors and ecological virtual environments to use of big data and machine learning techniques. These technologies can be used to support and promote the well-being through an objective continuous data collection and personalized

This scholarly new book assesses the content, technologies, and methodologies of research into computer applications in mental health. Contributions by a host of professionals--including researchers, computer specialists, clinicians, administrators, and managers of mental health organizations--focus on the clinical applications of computers in the mental health field and the implementation and management of new technologies to facilitate clinical care. Practical recommendations are included in the area of research on mental health computer use. This book will clarify for you the major problem areas in mental health computer research, their readiness for study, and appropriate research methodologies. The text thoroughly explores the efforts needed to realize the potential of new technologies; technologies that will greatly facilitate clinical care and the management of patient populations.

Increasingly more computer applications are becoming available to assist mental health clinicians and administrators in patient evaluation and treatment and mental health management, education, and research. Topics covered include: automated assessment procedures; MR-E (The Mental Retardation Expert); computerized assessment system for psychotherapy evaluation and research; computer assisted therapy of stress related conditions; computerized patient evaluation in a clinical setting; computerized treatment planning; the VA national mental health database; networks; managed care; DSM-IV diagnosis; quality management; cost control; knowledge coupling; telemedicine; the clinical library assistant; and monitoring independent service providers.

Artificial Intelligence in Behavioral and Mental Health Care summarizes recent advances in artificial intelligence as it applies to mental health clinical practice. Each chapter provides a technical description of the advance, review of application in clinical practice, and empirical data on clinical efficacy. In addition, each chapter includes a discussion of practical issues in clinical settings, ethical considerations, and limitations of use. The book encompasses AI based advances in decision-making, in assessment and treatment, in providing education to clients, robot assisted task completion, and the use of AI for research and data gathering. This book will be of use to mental health practitioners interested in learning about, or incorporating AI advances into their practice and for researchers interested in a comprehensive review of these advances in one source. - Summarizes AI advances for use in mental health practice - Includes advances in AI based decision-making and consultation - Describes AI applications for assessment and treatment - Details AI advances in robots for clinical settings - Provides empirical data on clinical efficacy - Explores practical issues of use in clinical settings

Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety are increasingly common. Yet there are too few specialists to offer help to everyone, and negative attitudes to psychological problems and their treatment discourage people from seeking it. As a result, many people never receive help for these problems. The Oxford Guide to Low Intensity CBT Interventions marks a turning point in the delivery of psychological treatments for people with depression and anxiety. Until recently, the only form of psychological intervention available for patients with depression and anxiety was traditional one-to-one 60 minute session therapy - usually with private practitioners for those patients who could afford it. Now Low Intensity CBT Interventions are starting to revolutionize mental health care by providing cost effective psychological therapies which can reach the vast numbers of people with depression and anxiety who did not previously have access to effective psychological treatment. The Oxford Guide to Low Intensity CBT Interventions is the first book to provide a comprehensive guide to Low Intensity CBT interventions. It brings together researchers and clinicians from around the world who have led the way in developing evidence-based low intensity CBT treatments. It charts the plethora of new ways that evidence-based low intensity CBT can be delivered: for instance, guided self-help, groups, advice clinics, brief GP interventions, internet-based or book-based treatment and prevention programs, with supported provided by phone, email, internet, sms or face-to-face. These new treatments require new forms of service delivery, new ways of communicating, new forms of training and supervision, and the development of new workforces. They involve changing systems and routine practice, and adapting interventions to particular community contexts. The Oxford Guide to Low Intensity CBT Interventions is a state-of-the-art handbook, providing low intensity practitioners, supervisors, managers commissioners of services and politicians with a practical, easy-to-read guide - indispensible reading for those who wish to understand and anticipate future directions in health service provision and to broaden access to cost-effective evidence-based psychological therapies.

Mental Health Policy and Practice Today is the only textbook available in recent years that reflects the dynamic nature of mental health practice in todayÆs rapidly changing society. This book begins with an overview of societal and cost issues related to mental health problems, including the formats now used for mental health delivery and the public planning and agencies involved. It then focuses on the expanding base of knowledge in mental health. Important areas of neuroscientific and social research are covered, along with the significant contributions of pychoeducation and self-help and advocacy groups. Ten groups are specifically discussed including the homeless, whose numbers have risen to crisis proportions in recent years in part due to their mass expulsion from institutional care. It then guides the reader through implications for the 21st century, including the influences of technology and funding shifts to managed care. Finally it concludes with an exploration of issues that will need to be resolved based on the analysis of current policy, practice, and future projections. Readers will appreciate the multiple perspectives of this book and the blending of contributorsÆ expertise in both research and service "in the trenches." The broad spectrum of topics covered makes this book not only an effective text for traditional and specialized courses in the mental health professions, but also an informative and stimulating resource for the current practitioner. It is an essential, timely book that illustrates that policy and practice in the mental health fields must be reconciled.

Required reading for anyone interested in the profound relationship between digital technology and society Digital technology has become an undeniable facet of our social lives, defining our governments, communities, and personal identities. Yet with these technologies in ongoing evolution, it is difficult to gauge the full extent of their societal impact, leaving researchers and policy makers with the challenge of staying up-to-date on a field that is constantly in flux. The Oxford Handbook of Digital Technology and Society provides students, researchers, and practitioners across the technology and social science sectors with a comprehensive overview of the foundations for understanding the various relationships between digital technology and society. Combining robust computer-aided reviews of current literature from the UK Economic and Social Research Council's commissioned project "Ways of Being in a Digital Age" with newly commissioned chapters, this handbook illustrates the upcoming research questions and challenges facing the social sciences as they address the societal impacts of digital media and technologies across seven broad categories: citizenship and politics, communities and identities, communication and relationships, health and well-being, economy and sustainability, data and representation, and governance and security. Individual chapters feature important practical and ethical explorations into topics such as technology and the aging, digital literacies, work-home boundary, machines in the workforce, digital censorship and surveillance, big data governance and regulation, and technology in the public sector. The Oxford Handbook of Digital Technology and Society will equip readers with the necessary starting points and provocations in the field so that scholars and policy makers can effectively assess future research, practice, and policy.

Recent years have seen important developments in the computer and game industry, including the emergence of the concept of serious games. It is hypothesized that tools such as games, virtual reality, or applications for smartphones may foster learning, enhance motivation, promote behavioral change, support psychotherapy, favor empowerment, and improve some cognitive functions. Computers and games may create supports for training or help people with cognitive, emotional, or behavioral change. Games take various formats, from board games to informatics to games with interactive rules of play. Similarly, computer tools may vary widely in format, from self-help or assisted computerized training to virtual reality or applications for smartphones. Some tools that may be helpful for mental health were specifically designed for that goal, whereas others were not. Gamification of computer-related products and games with a numeric format tend to reduce the gap between games and computers tools and increase the conceptual synergy in such fields. Games and computer design share an opportunity for creativity and innovation to help create, specifically design, and assess preventive or therapeutic tools. Computers and games share a design conception that allows innovative approaches to overcome barriers of the real world by creating their own rules. Yet, despite the potential interest in such tools to improve treatment of mental disorders and to help prevent them, the field remains understudied and information is under-disseminated in clinical practice. Some studies have shown, however, that there is potential interest and acceptability of tools that support various vehicles, rationales, objectives, and formats. These tools include traditional games (e.g., chess games), popular electronic games, board games, computer-based interventions specifically designed for psychotherapy or cognitive training, virtual reality, apps for smartphones, and so forth. Computers and games may offer a true opportunity to develop, assess, and disseminate new prevention and treatment tools for mental health and well-being. Currently, there is a strong need for state-of-the-art information to answer questions such as the following: Why develop such tools for mental health and well-being? What are the potential additions to traditional treatments? What are the best strategies or formats to improve the possible impact of these tools? Are such tools useful as a first treatment step? What is the potential of a hybrid model of care that combines traditional approaches with games and/or computers as tools? What games and applications have already been designed and studied? What is the evidence from previous studies? How can such tools be successfully designed for mental health and well-being? What is rewarding or attractive for patients in using such treatments? What are the worldwide developments in the field? Are some protocols under development? What are the barriers and challenges related to such developments? How can these tools be assessed, and how can the way that they work, and for whom, be measured? Are the potential benefits of such products specific, or can these additions be attributed to nonspecific factors? What are the users’ views on such tools? What are the possible links between such tools and social networks? Is there a gap between evidence-based results and market development? Are there any quality challenges? What future developments and studies are needed in the field?