House calls revisited: leveraging technology to overcome obstacles to veteran psychiatric care and improve treatment outcomes

Despite an increasing number of military service members in need of mental health treatment following deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, numerous psychological and practical barriers limit access to care. Perceived stigma about admitting psychological difficulties as well as frequent long distances...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2010-10, Vol.1208 (1), p.133-141
Main Authors: Olden, Megan, Cukor, Judith, Rizzo, Albert "Skip", Rothbaum, Barbara, Difede, JoAnn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Afghan Campaign 2001
barriers to care
Child
Depression - therapy
Family Therapy
Female
House Calls
Humans
Implosive Therapy
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Male
Mental Disorders - therapy
OIF/OEF veterans
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Post traumatic stress disorder
Psychotherapy - education
Psychotherapy - methods
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy
Substance-Related Disorders - therapy
Suicide Prevention
Telemedicine
Telemedicine - methods
Treatment Outcome
United States
User-Computer Interface
Veterans - psychology
Videoconferencing
virtual reality
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Summary:Despite an increasing number of military service members in need of mental health treatment following deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, numerous psychological and practical barriers limit access to care. Perceived stigma about admitting psychological difficulties as well as frequent long distances to treatment facilities reduce many veterans’ willingness and ability to receive care. Telemedicine and virtual human technologies offer a unique potential to expand services to those in greatest need. Telemedicine‐based treatment has been used to address multiple psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use, as well as to provide suicide risk assessment and intervention. Clinician education and training has also been enhanced and expanded through the use of distance technologies, with trainees practicing clinical skills with virtual patients and supervisors connecting with clinicians via videoconferencing. The use of these innovative and creative vehicles offers a significant and as yet unfulfilled promise to expand delivery of high‐quality psychological therapies, regardless of clinician and patient location.
ISSN:0077-8923
1749-6632
DOI:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05756.x