4 ms·
Alphabet were investing heavily into this space a while ago, with Thomas Insel leading the research. Their aim was to identify biomarkers of these more serious
by Staple_Diet 3y ago
Alphabet were investing heavily into this space a while ago, with Thomas Insel leading the research. Their aim was to identify biomarkers of these more serious mental illnesses. Schizophrenia isn't like Huntington where an early predictive diagnosis does little more than inform you of an inevitable debilitating illness. Schizophrenia can be managed, and when it is managed well with early intervention the outcomes can be very good. I oversaw a program that supported sufferers of schizophrenia in the community and we had some staff working with us who were also sufferers. The main difference between those who had positive vs negative outcomes was the way in which the illness was managed at onset (typically between teens to young adulthood). Unfortunately mismanagement during that period could have a massive effect on final outcome, where for example we had 60yo patients suffering PTSD from the way they were treated 40y ago during the onset of their illness.
If there's anything to fear about improved mental health diagnostics it's how this data will be used by insurance companies to exclude customers in countries that lack socialized healthcare (i.e., US).
- WoodenChair 3y ago> If there's anything to fear about improved mental health diagnostics it's how this data will be used by insurance companies to exclude customers in countries that lack socialized healthcare (i.e., US). Since the Affordable Care Act went into effect in 2014 in USA it's no longer legal to exclude people based on most pre-existing conditions. "Marketplace plans must cover treatment for pre-existing medical conditions. No insurance participating in the health insurance market place can reject you for coverage, charge more, or refuse to pay for essential health services for any prior medical condition. Moreover, once an individual is enrolled in the marketplace, insurance plans cannot deny coverage or raise rates solely based on your health." [0] 0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-existing_Condition_Insurance_Plan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-existing_Condition_Insuran...
- junofan 3y ago> If there's anything to fear about improved mental health diagnostics it's how this data will be used by insurance companies to exclude customers in countries that lack socialized healthcare (i.e., US). I dunno, I have a relative who’s sorta a bigwig. The way these guys think is counterintuitive. If anything they’re more likely try to get ‘em early while they’re cheap and then make sure they can dump these patients on their competitors later in life.
- m463 3y agoA critical factor regarding early detection is whether it is caught while you are a minor. As a minor, parents can participate in the treatment, make decent decisions and keep their child's life on track. Medication makes a huge difference. If the patient becomes an adult, treatment is most places becomes the decision of the patient. This can be especially tragic because schizophrenic patients can have anosognosia, which makes them unaware that they have a mental illness. These kinds of people can go through the system 20 or 30 times before they get treatment, with lots of fallout to all facets of their life. The outcomes can be pretty horrible as the condition goes untreated for months or years. The person might never recover a normal life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anosognosia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anosognosia
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]