Focusing on Digital Research Priorities for Advancing the Access and Quality of Mental Health

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.