Body-technology interfaces: digital corporeality and emerging psychopathology
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By
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Valerio Ricci
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Giovanni Martinotti
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Stefania Chiappini
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July 3, 2026
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Clinical Scorecard: Digital Interfaces with the Body: The Impact on Physical Experience and New Psychopathological Considerations
At a Glance
| Category | Detail |
|---|
| Condition | Emerging Psychopathology Related to Body-Technology Interfaces |
| Key Mechanisms | Neurobiological mechanisms involving body representation, interoceptive processing, and reward circuits. |
| Target Population | Individuals interacting with wearable devices, virtual reality, and augmented reality. |
| Care Setting | Clinical practice addressing technology-related embodiment presentations. |
Key Highlights
- Eight proposed clinical constructs identified across four domains.
- Constructs include body image disorders, embodiment disorders, proprioception disorders, and behavioral addictions.
- Current evidence consists primarily of theoretical elaborations and case reports.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
- Proposed constructs should be empirically validated.
- Existing clinical frameworks may not fully capture technology-related psychopathological presentations.
Management
- Develop standardized assessment instruments.
- Establish evidence-based therapeutic protocols.
Monitoring & Follow-up
- Ongoing clinical and policy attention to ethical dimensions.
Risks
- Differential access and algorithmic normalization of bodily experience.
Patient & Prescribing Data
Individuals using body-technology interfaces.
Focus on understanding technology-amplified variants of established conditions.
Clinical Best Practices
- Integrate phenomenological, neuroscientific, and clinical perspectives in assessment.
- Consider the impact of digital mediation on bodily experience.
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