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Digital technology and the future of mental health treatment

Guest Editors:
Anna Price: University of Exeter Medical School, United Kingdom
Alastair van Heerden: Human Sciences Research Council & University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa



BMC Digital Health is presenting our Collection on Digital technology and the future of mental health treatment. As the world grapples with a mental health crisis, we are turning to digital technologies to provide mental healthcare services. These take many forms, including cognitive-behavioral therapy apps, online therapies, and virtual reality exposure therapies. This collection highlights research on the future role of digital technologies in mental healthcare. Topics  considered include, but are not limited to digital therapeutic interventions, AI's role in mental health, data privacy, integration challenges, and the role of IoT and wearables in mental health.


New Content ItemThis collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Anna Price: University of Exeter Medical School, United Kingdom

Dr Price is a Senior Research Fellow and NIHR Three Research Schools Mental Health Career Development Fellow at the University of Exeter Medical School. Her research focuses on improving access to mental health services for underserved populations, including through the development of digital health interventions (DHIs). She leads a research program focused on health service provision for young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is a methodological expert in evidence synthesis and mapping services. She co-leads the Science of ADHD and Neurodevelopment (SAND) collaboration, bringing together academics, clinicians, and people with lived experience to conduct scientific research into better supporting people with ADHD. As an applied health services researcher, her work is increasingly focused on developing accessible and inclusive digital health solutions.

Alastair van Heerden: Human Sciences Research Council & University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa                                                                                                                                                                                          
Dr van Heerden is Research Director of the Centre for Community Based Research at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and an Honorary Associate Professor in Clinical Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. He has over 10 years of experience conducting clinical, behavioral and community-based research throughout East and Southern Africa, the United States, Nepal and Brazil. He has an interdisciplinary focus to his research, which combines his interest in technology for development and public health with the aim of improving access to care for underserved and poorly resourced communities.

About the Collection

BMC Digital Health is presenting our Collection on Digital technology and the future of mental health treatment. 

We are in the grip of a global mental health crisis. And, in many countries around the world, the availability of mental health care is inadequate and sometimes not accessible at all.  A recent report by the World Health Organization urged decision makers around the world to take action to ensure mental healthcare needs are met.

Part of the answer might lie with digital technologies; devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets are giving the public, health care providers, and researchers new ways to access help, monitor progress, and increase understanding of mental well-being. 

There has been a surge in the development of mental health apps, many of which are focused on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles.  Online therapies can be as effective as traditional in person face-to-face therapy sessions. Treating phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using Virtual Reality (VR) exposure therapy has been successful. 

All these are just examples of how digital technologies have been used to provide and/or support mental healthcare.  This collection highlights research that will focus on how digital technologies might help shape mental healthcare in the future.  Contributions can include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The development and impact of digital therapeutic interventions in mental health.
  • AI and machine learning's role in mental health prediction, diagnosis, and treatment.
  • Effectiveness and ethics of mental health apps and teletherapy.
  • Data privacy, security, and ethical considerations in digital mental health.
  • Challenges and opportunities in integrating digital technology in existing mental health care structures.
  • IoT, wearables, and other emerging technologies' role in mental health.
  • Accessibility, equity, and scalability of digital mental health technologies.

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being. Please email Alison Cuff, the editor for BMC Digital Health, (alison.cuff@biomedcentral.com) if you would like more information.


Image credit: weedezign / stock.adobe.com

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