Feature customizability and input from users and HCPs during development may improve app usability and clinical benefit. In summary, app usability, cost, accessibility and other technical considerations, and alignment with therapeutic goals were the most reported valuation factors identified by this SLR. As perceptions of value are influenced by factors including cultures, laws, and health care settings, the findings of this SLR should not be generalized to other countries. In other studies, providers reported interest in using DMHTs to facilitate asynchronous communication with patients and their caregivers, promote patient skill practice, and improve care for children through the use of games and visuals 26,30.
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Overall, TAC, when appropriately applied, holds great potential to have a significant impact on public health. Thus, TAC has the potential to offer the latest scientific advances in behavioral health services rapidly and continuously. This is particularly true for Web- or mobile-based TAC, because updates in program content can be incorporated centrally and made available to all end users at the same time. Time flexibility is another potential benefit of TAC, particularly through incorporation of technologies that enable asynchronous communication between clinicians and clients—making services available on demand at times that are convenient for clients.
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There are well established digital treatments for depression and most of the anxiety disorders, and for problems such as insomnia (Andersson & Titov, 2014). The psychological treatment of mental health problems is beginning to undergo a fundamental change. We note the importance of online clinics, blended treatment, digital assessment and digital training. To conclude, with the current rapid process in AI and technology a new era of digital psychology has begun that opens up entirely new horizons of possible realtime diagnosis, summarisation of 24/7 monitoring for therapists, but also largely autonomous interventions. Regulators need access to real-time results of real-world performance, and thankfully this is easy to share given the digital nature of these interventions. To build trustworthy digital health tools for mental well-being, several key factors must be addressed to ensure efficacy, safety, and user confidence.
- The demand outstripping supply of mental health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic presents opportunities for digital technology tools to fill this new gap and, in the process, demonstrate capabilities to increase their effectiveness and efficiency.
- Studies consistently highlight that use of social media, especially heavy use and prolonged time spent on social media platforms, appears to contribute to increased risk for a variety of mental health symptoms and poor wellbeing, especially among young people (Andreassen et al., 2016; Kross et al., 2013; Woods & Scott, 2016).
- It is important for there to be easy access to reports, virtual classrooms, and demonstrations of content and video creation, use of a dashboard, and the creation of course offerings.
- Digital mental health research publications were searched using keywords, Boolean operators, and various expressions.
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Since AI is increasingly used by community members and mental health professionals (Cross et al., 2024), we aimed to highlight benefits and potentials harms for the integrations of innovative technology into mental health care. It highlights the importance of secure data handling, evidence-based interventions, continuous regulatory oversight, user-centred design, and ethical considerations, alongside addressing legal liabilities and the need for accreditation to ensure reliable and responsible AI-driven care. Yet in 2024, trust remains aloof with as many as one in five mental health apps still with privacy concerns and regulators bringing cases of brazen breaches of patient trust against large companies in the space (Iwaya et al., 2023). This acronym serves as a foundation for developing future recommendations on integrating technology into mental health care, drawing on the author’s expertise in the field.
Some are developed to be used independently as ‘stand-alone’ technologies (unguided), whereas others are supported by practitioners (guided). Many of the programmes include several of these elements, and they are categorised here primarily in terms of the digital approach taken. A range of digital elements are used in technologies that aim to help ensure the programme is relevant, personalised, flexible and engaging for the user. Key authors were contacted for further information, especially on how to access each technology. Relevant articles were identified through online searches of two databases (Medline and PsycInfo via Ovid) with no restriction regarding publication dates up until March 2021. At the other end of the continuum, resources and interventions are ‘pure self-help’ and therefore involve no human support to an individual user.
A challenge for mental health care practitioners is to become familiar with these smartphone tools to fulfil the “next step in incorporating technology use into standard clinical care for relapse prediction and prevention” . An issue with the use of existing decision support tools in physical health care (eg, AI-assisted clinical decision support systems) is that recommended treatments are often overridden by health care practitioners . D’Alfonso reported that data-driven AI methods could be employed to develop prediction and detection models for mental health conditions, gathering insight from digital exhausts (numerous personal digital device and social media interactions mined to obtain behavioral or mental health–related insights).
In mental health, chatbots facilitate motivational interviews https://www.ihs.gov/california/index.cfm/offices/oph/bh/resources/helpful-organizations/ and tailored guidelines (29). Collaborations with public health authorities, NGOs, and health professionals can amplify these efforts and contribute to overall mental health and well-being. Public discussion of mental health issues also can risk privacy violations, judgment, or discrimination (19). Finally, the unique features and demographics of each social platform make them suitable for promoting contemplation and facilitating public health discussions across diverse cultures and societies (25). It enables organisations and influencers to disseminate information about mental health, share coping strategies, and promote mental well-being (22).