Ethics of brain-computer interface in mental healthcare

Invasive, semi-invasive, and non-invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are playing an increasingly important role in mental healthcare. They play a central role in all the stages of neuro-behavioural interventions, both by the care providers and the caretakers of a patient. The novelty of the technology and its rapid development create complex ethical challenges that must be balanced against the potential gains in efficiency and effectiveness of using the technology in mental healthcare. The paper presents an Ontology of Ethics of Brain-Computer Interface in Mental Healthcare, as a roadmap to guide to balance the ethics, effectiveness, and efficiency of the use of the technology. Like a ‘Google Map’ the ontology presents all the pathways by which the three issues can affect neurobehavioural interventions using BCI technologies by the variety of agents that deliver mental healthcare. Using the ontology one can determine (a) the desired ethical pathways and reinforce them, (b) the undesired/unethical pathways and redirect them, and (c) discover novel ethical pathways and explore them.