Towards a Better Understanding of User`s Information in Electronic-Mentalhealth Services

Abstract: Information Technology has enabled the increase of virtual business particularly towards mental health. Most health institutions have adopted using the internet to aid users get much needed help from different geographical areas. With the increase in availability of the internet, applications and websites in plenty have sprouted up due to this factor; data usage and that generated has in turn also increased carrying along with its challenges towards the data privacy of consumers’ information in electronic mental health inclusive of third party access to user data. Based on the literature review, evidence of data sharing to third parties and weak privacy policies from the e-mental health applications is illustrated, alongside its challenges and some solutions towards ensuring the privacy of user information. This area has also illustrated the different governing data privacy policies in United Kingdom both before and post-Brexit. The purpose of this thesis is to assess how the present data handling techniques are affecting user data, while citing the positive and negative outcomes of using these platforms inclusive of the relevant future recommendations towards the best practices towards ensuring data privacy of user information in electronic-mental health services.