Articles on Digital Technologies and Mental Health
Written by university students
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Wysa: A promising chatbot for expanding mental health services
Given that most individuals facing mental health challenges worldwide do not have access to professional care, mental health apps have been identified as a promising, cost-effective, and scalable solution for bridging the treatment gap. While the availability of mental health apps is on the rise, they should be treated with…
Deprexis: An online solution for depression
Depression is a mental disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, or irritability, as well as a marked loss of pleasure and enjoyment in previously favoured activities. Individuals with depression may also struggle with poor concentration, overwhelming guilt, diminished self-esteem, a sense of hopelessness, and reduced energy levels…
EndeavorRx: A fun intervention to improve attention in children with ADHD
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder starting before age 12 and potentially lasting into adulthood. ADHD is characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that impair daily functioning. According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition), ADHD symptoms fall into two...
Sleepio: The at-home program to combat insomnia
Insomnia disorder (also known as chronic insomnia) is a sleep-wake disorder that involves a difficulty falling asleep, waking up too early and being unable to go back to sleep, or a complaint with sleep quality. Studies found that about 30-35% of the general population presents with at least one insomnia...
The working alliance in teletherapy
Due to the major impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare service delivery, many professionals had to innovate in order to maintain their services. Teletherapy, which involves providing care via communication technologies, has become a common solution. Currently, more than 80% of psycho-social practitioners in the province of Quebec (Canada)…
RESILIENT – a platform to improve resilience
In 2016, a forest fire ravaged the municipality of Fort McMurray in Alberta, requiring the evacuation of around 100,000 residents. The research team led by Geneviève Belleville, a professor at Laval University, was called in to provide psychological assistance to the population. The research team deployed its resources to assess…
Long Articles on Mental Health
Written by experts
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How to better help people who hear voices?
I have heard time and time again that psychologists are afraid to work with people who hear voices. In this regard, we could learn from British psychologists, some of whom have been leaders in this field – in their country and internationally – for at least three decades. We could...
Thoughts in bed, normal sleep onset, and insomnia
During my doctoral studies, I did a four-month research internship in Vancouver, Canada. The goal of this internship was to learn and theorize about the role of cognitive activity (mental activity) in insomnia. I ended up working on a review of the scientific literature in which we summarized much of…
Theoretical models explaining bad dreams and nightmares
Why do some people experience bad dreams and nightmares? Why do nightmares sometimes come and go, being rare or absent for weeks, months, or years, before reappearing? It is one thing to try identifying the causes (or “triggers”) of nightmares, it is another to explain the psychological processes through which…
Emotions in dreams and their influence on waking affects
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by emotions. During my bachelor’s degree in psychology, in my free time, I spent a lot of time theorizing about the psychological processes responsible for anxiety (in particular, anxiety in social situations), mourning, and romantic attachment. In parallel many…
Strategies for achieving high-level control in lucid dreams
In 2016-2017, I have mentored a team of students who were in their third year of a bachelor’s degree in psychology. We conducted a study on lucid dream control strategies. We recruited 107 lucid dreamers (i.e., individuals who experienced at least one lucid dream per year) from two Facebook Groups…
What are nightmares?
Until my early twenties, nightmares have been an omnipresent theme in my life. From my childhood, to my adolescence, to my first years as a university student, I have had episodes where I had nightmares quite frequently. In fact, I choose to do my Ph.D. thesis on dreaming largely because…
