When I was training in psychiatry, it was always tricky seeing patients in the emergency department. We would try to understand their situation as quickly as we could, but you are often working to make the best decision with limited information.
Then one day a patient came in and it sounded like something very bad had happened in a personal relationship. The patient agreed to let us read their text messages and immediately it was very clear what was happening.
It was an eye-opening moment for me – to see how much information phones may hold to help guide mental health treatment, especially in schizophrenia.
