Maslow’s hammer: considering the perils of solutionism in mental healthcare and psychiatric practice

Objective: To discuss narrow pragmatism, manifest as digital and technical solutionism, in mental healthcare and psychiatric practice. Pragmatism is a view of the field of psychiatry as an instrument or tool for the purpose of providing psychiatric care for people with a mental illness. Solutionism, as proposed by Morozov, can be considered a special case of pragmatism that valorises an approach to solving real-world problems based on computation, algorithms and digital technology,¹ which we extend to discuss other technical solutions such as medication, non-invasive brain stimulation and psychotherapy. Conclusions: Digital or technical solutionism may unnecessarily constrain approaches to mental healthcare and psychiatric practice. Psychiatrists can consider, and should advocate for, appropriate adaptation of technology and technical solutions toward collaborative and effective mental healthcare.