Top Psychology Trends for 2024

Summary

The American Psychological Association addresses key challenges in psychology, including combating misinformation with federal funding, humanizing AI through behavioral insights, and addressing faculty burnout amid a mental health crisis. Psychologists face backlash against racial equity, advocate for affordable mental health care, and navigate the complexities of monetizing mental health. They prioritize worker well-being, innovate in substance use treatment, and respond to the shortage of school psychologists. Policymakers' impact on women and LGBTQ+ individuals is countered through advocacy, while telehealth and AI-backed tools evolve therapy, and research focuses on improving brain health for aging populations.

Takeaways

• 📢 Misinformation is a growing concern, with psychologists receiving federal funding to study its spread and develop strategies to combat it.
• 🤖 Psychologists are integrating human values into AI development, aiming to use behavioral insights to shape technology ethically.
• 🏫 Higher education faces challenges like faculty burnout and turnover, with 64% of faculty reporting feeling burned out.
• 🔄 There's a backlash against racial equity, with cuts in related funding and positions, and legal decisions creating obstacles for progress.
• 🩹 To reach more patients, psychologists advocate for insurance coverage of digital therapeutics and innovative therapy approaches.
• 💼 Mental health tech companies are improving clinical and business practices following layoffs and ethical issues, focusing on products developed by experts.
• 🛠️ Boosting worker well-being is prioritized, with psychologists studying employee benefits and healthy workplace cultivation amid concerns about AI job replacement.
• 💊 Psychologists are innovating to address the rise in drug overdoses, particularly those involving fentanyl, by developing new addiction recovery interventions.
• 🏫 There's a push to hire more school psychologists due to a shortage and increased stressors, with federal funding supporting training and hiring.
• 🏳️‍🌈 Policymakers' actions are impacting women and LGBTQ+ individuals, with psychologists countering through advocacy, legislation, and patient support.
• 📱 Telehealth is becoming a standard therapy method with PSYPACT's expansion, and AI-backed tools are aiding therapists by reducing administrative burdens.
• 🧠 As the US population ages, there's a projected need for more specialists in geriatric care, with researchers working on interventions for cognitive health.

Q & A

What is one of the top challenges facing the field of psychology according to the American Psychological Association?

One of the top challenges is fighting misinformation, which has become more insidious, especially during the presidential election year.

How are psychologists addressing the spread of misinformation?

Psychologists are studying the spread of misinformation and widely sharing science-backed methods to best combat it, utilizing millions in new federal funding.

In what ways are psychologists humanizing artificial intelligence?

Psychologists are leading efforts to use behavioral insights to shape the latest AI technology, integrating it into lab, clinic, and classroom settings.

What is the current state of higher education according to the script?

Higher education is struggling with faculty burnout, high turnover, and fear among educators, fueled by dramatic changes in society and a widespread mental health crisis.

What percentage of faculty reported feeling burned out in a recent survey mentioned in the script?

In a recent survey, 64% of faculty reported feeling burned out.

How is the backlash against racial equity impacting the field of psychology?

The backlash against racial equity is growing, with institutions cutting equity, diversity, and inclusion funds and positions, and state and federal legislation creating roadblocks for those seeking racial equity.

What is the current mental health crisis situation in the US, as described in the script?

There is a mental health crisis in the US, with 80% of those seeking care saying it's too expensive, and more than half feeling ashamed to get help.

How are psychologists trying to reach more patients amidst the mental health crisis?

Some psychologists are advocating for insurance coverage for digital therapeutics and other new approaches to existing therapies to serve more patients.

What challenges are mental health tech companies facing that are prompting better clinical and business practices?

High-profile layoffs and ethical breaches are spurring better clinical and business practices among mental health tech companies.

What is a significant concern among workers regarding AI, as mentioned in the script?

A significant concern among workers is that AI might replace them, with 38% expressing this worry in a recent survey.

How are psychologists innovating to tackle substance use, especially with the rise in drug overdose deaths?

Psychologists are developing new interventions to help people recover from addictions, in response to the recent data showing a 54% jump in drug overdose deaths.

What is the current ratio of school psychologists to students in the US, and what is being done to address this?

There is one psychologist for every 1,127 students across the US. Increased federal funding and a push to train and hire more school psychologists are being implemented to address this shortage.

How are policymakers' actions impacting women and LGBTQ individuals, according to the script?

Policymakers are taking actions that restrict abortion and gender-affirming care, severely altering the right to make decisions for marginalized communities, often with the opposite impact of what is intended for their mental and physical health.

How is the field of psychology adapting to the rise of telehealth?

With PSYPACT now having 40 member states, telehealth has become an expected method of therapy, and AI-backed tools are being used to reduce the time therapists spend on administrative tasks.

What is the projected need for specialists in treating older adults by 2030, according to the APA estimates?

The APA estimates that by 2030, the US will need nearly 6,000 more specialists in treating older adults.