We consider the potential and current uses of mobile phones in the mental health field in South Africa. From the limited research conducted, mobile phones seem most suited to enhancing cognitive behavioural therapy. In addition, mobile phones seem to have many other benefits, such as increasing adherence to medication, allowing therapists to monitor clients’ progress, improving the therapeutic relationship, and providing information to both clients and therapists. We also examine the ethical concerns and challenges related to mental health care in South Africa and emphasise the need for psychologists to exercise caution in incorporating such technologies into their practice. At this stage, there is insufficient evidence to support the notion that these technologies can replace face-to-face interventions; however, they have many properties which, if used correctly and with ethical considerations, may enhance therapy, prevention, and public mental health.
AguileraA.MuñozR. F. (2011). Text messaging as an adjunct to CBT in low-income populations: A usability and feasibility pilot study. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42, 472–478. doi:10.1037/a0025499
2.
AlabaO. A.McIntyreD. (2012). What do we know about health service utilisation in South Africa?Development Southern Africa, 29, 704–724. doi:10.1080/0376835X.2012.730973
3.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
4.
AnhojJ.MoldrupC. (2004). Feasibility of collecting diary data from asthma patients through mobile phones and SMS (short message service): Response rate analysis and focus group evaluation from a pilot study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 6(4), e42. doi:10.2196/jmir.6.4.e42
BocktingC. L. H.KokG. D.Van der KampL.SmitF.Van ValenE.SchoeversR.. . .BeckA. T. (2011). Disrupting the rhythm of depression using mobile cognitive therapy for recurrent depression: Randomized controlled trial design and protocol. BMC Psychiatry, 11(12), 1–9. doi:10.1186/1471-244X-11-12
8.
BoschenM. J.CaseyL. M. (2008). The use of mobile telephones as adjuncts to cognitive behavioural psychotherapy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 546–552.
9.
BuhiE. R.TrudnakT. E.MartinasekM. P.OberneA. B.FuhrmannH. J.McDermottR. J. (2012). Mobile phone-based behavioural interventions for health: A systematic review. Health Education Journal. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/00178969 12452071
10.
BuysP.DasguptaS.ThomasT. S.WheelerD. (2009). Determinants of a digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa: A spatial econometric analysis of cell phone coverage. World Development, 37, 1494–1505. doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.01.011
CastelnuovoG.GaggioliA.MantovaniF.RivaG. (2003). New and old tools in psychotherapy: The use of technology for the integration of the traditional clinical treatments. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 40, 33–44. doi:10.1037/0033-3204.40.1/2.33
ChoJ. H.LeeH. C.LimD. J.KwonH. S.YoonK. H. (2009). Mobile communication using a mobile phone with a glucometer for glucose control in Type 2 patients with diabetes: As effective as an Internet-based glucose monitoring system. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 15, 77–82. doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080412
15.
Cole-LewisH.KershawT. (2010). Text messaging as a tool for behaviour change in disease prevention and management. Epidemiologic Reviews, 32(1), 56–69. doi:10.1093/epirev/mxq004
16.
CrankshawT.CorlessI. B.GiddyJ.NicholasP. K.EichbaumQ.ButlerL. M. (2010). Exploring the patterns of use and the feasibility of using cellular technology for clinic appointment reminders and adherence messages in an antiretroviral treatment clinic, Durban, South Africa. AIDS Patient Care and STD’S, 24, 729–734. doi:10.1089/apc.2010.0146
17.
DemyttenaereK.BruffaertsR.Posada-VillaJ.GasquetI.KovessV.LepineJ. P.. . .MneimnehZ. N. (2004). Prevalence, severity, and unmet need for treatment of mental disorders in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. Journal of the American Medical Association, 291, 2581–2590. doi:10.1001/jama.291.21.2581
18.
FjeldsoeB. S.MarshallA. L.MillerY. D. (2009). Behaviour change interventions delivered by mobile telephone short-message service. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 36, 165–173. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2008.09.040
19.
FlisherA. J.LundC.FunkM.BandaM.BhanaA.DokuV.. . .GreenA. (2007). Mental health policy development and implementation in four African countries. Journal of Health Psychology, 12, 505–516. doi:10.1177/1359105307076237
20.
FreanJ. (2007). Microscopic images transmitted by mobile cameraphone. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, 101, 1053. doi:10.1016/j.trstmh.2007.06.008
21.
GhoshG. J.McLarenP. M.WatsonJ. P. (1997). Evaluating the alliance in video-link teletherapy. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 3(Suppl. 1), 33–35. doi:0.037/0003-066X.55.4.407
22.
GitauS.MarsdenG.DonnerJ. (2010, April). After access: Challenges facing mobile-only internet users in the developing world. Paper presented at the twenty eighth international conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 2603–2606). New York, NY: ACM.
HaweP.ShiellA.RileyT. (2004). Complex interventions: How ‘out of control’ can a randomised controlled trial be?British Medical Journal, 328, 1561–1563. doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7455.1561
25.
HaweP.ShiellA.RileyT. (2009). Theorising interventions as events in systems. American Journal of Community Psychology, 43, 267–276. doi:10.1007/s10464-009-9229-9
26.
JamesJ.VersteegM. (2007). Mobile phones in Africa: How much do we really know?Social Indicators Research, 84, 117–126. doi:10.1007/s11205-006-9079-x
27.
KazdinA. E.BlaseS. L. (2011). Rebooting psychotherapy research and practice to reduce the burden of mental illness. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 21–37. doi:10.1177/1745691610393527
28.
KrishnaS.BorenS. A.BalasE. A. (2009). Healthcare via cell phones: A systematic review. Telemedicine and e-Health, 15, 231–240. doi:10.1089/tmj.2008.0099
29.
LuxtonD. D.McCannR. A.BushN. E.MishkindM. C.RegerG. M. (2011). mHealth for mental health: Integrating smartphone technology in behavioural healthcare. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42, 505–512. doi:10.1037/a0024485
MoserI. (2012, September12–13). Telecare: New values, ideals and modes of caring. Keynote address at the Critical Care: Advancing an ethic of care in theory and practice conference, Brighton, UK.
PiekJ.HebeckerR.SchützeM.SolaS.MannS.BuchholzK. (2006). Image transfer by mobile phones in neurosurgery. Zentralblatt für Neurochirurgie, 67(4), 193–196. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17139604
35.
Pop-ElechesC.ThirumurthyH.HabyarimanaJ. P.ZivinJ. G.GoldsteinM. P.de WalqueD.. . .BangsbergD. R. (2011). Mobile phone technologies improve adherence to antiretroviral treatment in a resource-limited setting: A randomized controlled trial of text message reminders. AIDS, 25, 825–834. doi:10.1097/QAD.0b013e32834670d7
36.
PoselD. (2011). Adult literacy rates in South Africa: A comparison of different measures. Language Matters, 42(1), 39–49. doi:10.1080/10228195.2011.571703
37.
PreziosaA.GrassiA.GaggioliA.RivaG. (2009). Therapeutic applications of the mobile phone. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 37, 313–325. doi:10.1080/03069880902957031
38.
RazdanS.JohannesJ.KuoR. L.BagleyD. H. (2006). The camera phone: A novel aid in urologic practice. Urology, 67(4), 665–669. doi:10.1016/j.urology.2005.10.005
39.
RodgersA.CorbettT.BramleyD.RiddellT.WillsM.LinR. B.JonesM. (2005). Do u smoke after txt? Results of a randomised trial of smoking cessation using mobile phone text messaging. Tobacco Control, 14, 255–261. doi:10.1136/tc.2005.011577
40.
Rotheram-BorusM. J.TomlinsonM.GwegweM.ComuladaW. S.KaufmanN.KeimM. (2012). Diabetes buddies peer support through a mobile phone buddy system. The Diabetes Educator, 38, 357–365. doi:10.1177/0145721712444617
41.
RummellC. M.JoyceN. R. (2010). ‘So wat do u want to wrk on 2day?’ The ethical implications of online counselling. Ethics & Behaviour, 20, 482–496. doi:10.1080/03069880902957031
SchrittwieserS.FrühwirtP.KiesebergP.LeithnerM.MulazzaniM.HuberM.WeipplE. (2012, February). Guess who’s texting you? Evaluating the security of smartphone messaging applications. In Proceedings of the 19th annual symposium on network and distributed system security. Retrieved from http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/07_1.pdf
44.
ShapiroJ. R.BauerS.HamerR. M.KordyH.WardD.BulikC. M. (2008). Use of text messaging for monitoring sugar-sweetened beverages, physical activity, and screen time in children: A pilot study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour, 40, 385–391. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2007.09.014
45.
ShererF. (2012, December10). Why are South African Mobile communication costs so high?Are major cell phone companies colluding to keep prices high? Retrieved from http://www.politicalanalysis.co.za/2012/12/10
46.
TomlinsonM.Rotheram-BorusM. J.DohertyT.SwendemanD.TsaiA.IjumbaP.ChopraM. (2013). Value of a mobile information system to improve quality of care by community health workers. South African Journal of Information Management, 15(1).
47.
TomlinsonM.SolomonW.SinghY.DohertyT.ChopraM.IjumbaP.. . .JacksonD. (2009). The use of mobile phones as a data collection tool: A report from a household survey in South Africa. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 9(1), 51. doi:10.1186/1472-6947-9-51
48.
WattsS.MackenzieA.ThomasC.GriskaitisA.MewtonL.WilliamsA.AndrewsG. (2013). CBT for depression: A pilot RCT comparing mobile phone vs. computer. BMC Psychiatry, 13(1), 49.
49.
ZimicM.CoronelJ.GilmanR. H.LunaC. G.CuriosoW. H.MooreD. A. (2009). Can the power of mobile phones be used to improve tuberculosis diagnosis in developing countries?Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 103, 638–640. doi:10.1016/j.trstmh.2008.10.015
