Focusing on Digital Research Priorities for Advancing the Access and Quality of Mental Health
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Abstract
Digital mental health solutions are now well recognized as critical to solving the global mental health crisis. As research accelerates, it is now clear that solutions ranging from computer-based therapy programs to virtual reality headsets and smartphone apps to large language model chatbots are of interest, feasible, and hold exciting potential to improve mental health. This research should now consider the next generation of scientific and clinical questions regarding if these new approaches are equitable, valid, effective, implementable, efficacious, and even cost-effective. This paper outlines several of the new frontiers for the next generation of research and introduces JMIR Publications’ partnership with the Society of Digital Psychiatry to further advance these aims.
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Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have emerged over the last decade as a promising potential response to the treatment gap, leveraging technology to deliver low-cost, effective, always-available and anonymous (and thus low-stigma) mental health treatment at scale.
“Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have emerged over the last decade as a promising potential response to the treatment gap, leveraging technology to deliver low-cost, effective, always-available and anonymous (and thus low-stigma) mental health treatment at scale6.”
From “It happened to be the perfect thing”: experiences of generative AI chatbots for mental health (2024) · cites this paper as [6]
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O’Dea, B., Rooke, S. E., Gordon, E.-R., Lyons, F. L., Vilus, B., Paravastu, N., & Batterham, P. J. (2025) · npj Mental Health Research · doi:10.1038/s44184-025-00177-z · Cited by 3 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Torous, J., Benson, N. M., Myrick, K., & Eysenbach, G.
- Affiliations
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
- McLean Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Torous, John
- Venue
- JMIR Mental Health
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2023-04-24
- Volume
- 10
- Pages
- e47898
- ISSN
- 2368-7959 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10167575
- OpenAlex
- W4366819510
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 4
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- JMIR Mental Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- digital mental health, research priorities, computer-based therapy, virtual reality therapy, large language model chatbots, equity, validity, effectiveness, implementation, cost-effectiveness
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