Challenges faced by mental health providers and patients during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic due to technological barriers

摘要

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has been responsible for the devastation of hundreds of thousands of lives directly and has caused disruptions globally. Vulnerable populations, specifically those suffering from serious mental illness and homelessness, are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 infection resulting in medical complications and psychiatric destabilization. In addition, mental health has become increasingly relevant throughout the country given the psychological distress people have been facing due to the spread of COVID-19 and the toll of a more restricted way of living. Although the healthcare industry has quickly integrated novel ways of treating patients with mental illness with technological advances, these technologies are not applicable to different populations equally. There is a clear disparity that is represented within the public county health systems, which leads to a widening gap between those who receive adequate treatment for mental illness and those who do not.