Hands-on Help: Computer-aided Psychotherapy

"Hands-on Help" is a narrative review of the mushrooming field of computer-aided psychotherapy for mental health problems as a whole, from the time it began in the 1960's through to the present day. The many types of computer-aided psychotherapy and how each might be accessed are detailed together with the pros and cons of such help and the various functions it can serve. The authors review prevention, as well as treatment. The book describes and summarises computer aided self-help systems according to the types of problem they aim to alleviate. These include phobic, panic, obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic disorders, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, sexual problems, smoking, alcohol and drug misuse, schizophrenia, insomnia, pain and tinnitus, childhood problems such as encopresis, autism and asthma. Within each type of problem, the systems are described according to whether they are used on the internet, CD-ROM, phone, handheld or other device. The final chapter shows how internet self-help systems with phone or email support allow clinics to become virtual more than physical.It also discusses methods of screening suitability and of supporting users, constraints to delivery, uptake and completion, cost-effectiveness, and the place of computer-aided self-help in healthcare provision. This informative book will be essential reading for psychiatrists and mental health professionals interested in broadening their understanding of computer-aided psychotherapy.