Mood disorders are the most prevalent mental conditions. They cause significant disability, associated costs, and increased morbidity and mortality. Despite the many advances made in recent decades, there is still a lack of response to traditional treatments in many patients, as well as physical barriers to access to these treatments. The development of complementary management strategies may help to improve the prognosis of mood disorders.
New technologies have made a powerful entry into the field of mental health, and they have been successfully employed as a complement to the treatment of mental disorders. Their use has been revalued with the COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdown periods, compensating for the disruption of face-to-face visits, and helping to maintain continuity of mental health care. New technologies can continue helping us thanks to their wide availability and versatility.
The goal of this Research Topic is to present studies on therapeutic interventions delivered using new technologies for the management of mood disorders. The potential of these treatments will be discussed, as well as the barriers to their implementation in clinical practice and the developments that are expected in the not distant future. We will focus on interventions aimed at alleviating depressive symptoms/disorders or bipolar disorder, both in adult patients and in children and adolescents. We are also interested in symptom-monitoring systems and other preventive strategies delivered through new technologies. Our interest encompasses any kind of new technology, including —but not limited to— mobile applications, video games, computer software, machine learning, VR environments, wearable devices, and online platforms.
We welcome Original Research articles and Reviews addressing the following topics:
• Empirical studies on the effectiveness of new technologies-based interventions
• Feasibility and acceptability of such interventions
• Mechanisms underlying the potential effectiveness of these interventions
• Accuracy and usefulness of symptom-monitoring systems
• Challenges to the implementation of new technologies in the clinical practice
• Future perspectives in the field
Mood disorders are the most prevalent mental conditions. They cause significant disability, associated costs, and increased morbidity and mortality. Despite the many advances made in recent decades, there is still a lack of response to traditional treatments in many patients, as well as physical barriers to access to these treatments. The development of complementary management strategies may help to improve the prognosis of mood disorders.
New technologies have made a powerful entry into the field of mental health, and they have been successfully employed as a complement to the treatment of mental disorders. Their use has been revalued with the COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdown periods, compensating for the disruption of face-to-face visits, and helping to maintain continuity of mental health care. New technologies can continue helping us thanks to their wide availability and versatility.
The goal of this Research Topic is to present studies on therapeutic interventions delivered using new technologies for the management of mood disorders. The potential of these treatments will be discussed, as well as the barriers to their implementation in clinical practice and the developments that are expected in the not distant future. We will focus on interventions aimed at alleviating depressive symptoms/disorders or bipolar disorder, both in adult patients and in children and adolescents. We are also interested in symptom-monitoring systems and other preventive strategies delivered through new technologies. Our interest encompasses any kind of new technology, including —but not limited to— mobile applications, video games, computer software, machine learning, VR environments, wearable devices, and online platforms.
We welcome Original Research articles and Reviews addressing the following topics:
• Empirical studies on the effectiveness of new technologies-based interventions
• Feasibility and acceptability of such interventions
• Mechanisms underlying the potential effectiveness of these interventions
• Accuracy and usefulness of symptom-monitoring systems
• Challenges to the implementation of new technologies in the clinical practice
• Future perspectives in the field