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Cited by 115Digital Mental Health InterventionsEthics and Social Impacts of AIMental Health Treatment and Access

From Treatment to Healing:Envisioning a Decolonial Digital Mental Health

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Pendse, Sachin R, Nkemelu, Daniel, Bidwell, Nicola J, Jadhav, Sushrut, Pathare, Soumitra, De Choudhury, Munmun, Kumar, Neha·2022·CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
DOI 10.1145/3491102.3501982
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Abstract

The field of digital mental health is making strides in the application of technology to broaden access to care. We critically examine how these technology-mediated forms of care might amplify historical injustices, and erase minoritized experiences and expressions of mental distress and illness. We draw on decolonial thought and critiques of identity-based algorithmic bias to analyze the underlying power relations impacting digital mental health technologies today, and envision new pathways towards a decolonial digital mental health. We argue that a decolonial digital mental health is one that centers lived experience over rigid classification, is conscious of structural factors that influence mental wellbeing, and is fundamentally designed to deter the creation of power differentials that prevent people from having agency over their care. Stemming from this vision, we make recommendations for how researchers and designers can support more equitable futures for people experiencing mental distress and illness.

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Authors
Pendse, S. R., Nkemelu, D., Bidwell, N. J., Jadhav, S., Pathare, S., De Choudhury, M., & Kumar, N.
Affiliations
  • Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
  • International University of Management (NA)
  • University College London (GB)
  • Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy, India
  • School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
ORCID
Venue
CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Publisher
ACM
Published
2022-04-29
Pages
1-23
DOI
10.1145/3491102.3501982
OpenAlex
W4225002570
Cited by
115
References
233
Citations by year
2026: 22 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 9
FWCI
44.45
Type
conference paper
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.acm.org/publications/policies/copyright_policy#Background (vor)
Locations
  • CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • VBN Forskningsportal (Aalborg Universitet) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • NIH (National Institutes of Health) (R01MH117172)
  • Microsoft
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
digital mental health, decoloniality, algorithmic bias, power relations, psychological distress, mental illness, structural factors, lived experience, equity in mental health care, health care access, user agency

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