COMPUTER-MEDIATED PSYCHOTHERAPY - ETHICAL ISSUES AD DIFFICULTIES IN IMPLEMENTATION

Computer technology has been applied to psychiatry and psychotherapy f or four main purposes: as a diagnostic aid, for computer-assisted inst ruction, to aid cognitive rehabilitation, and for computer-mediated ps ychotherapy (CMP). The first and second applications have proved highl y useful in some psychiatric domains, but CMP is at a preliminary stag e and remains controversial because little evaluation data is availabl e. The questions addressed in this paper are: Can psychologic computer software cope with emotional and behavioural dysfunctions? To what ex tent can the use of computers help the patient recover? The authors re view experiences in this area and discuss the dangers, possible drawba cks, major objections and limits of CMP. They also examine the possibi lity that computer applications may help in the understanding of psych otherapy. Finally, they address some ethical issues in the application of this technique.