About this Research Topic
Mental health conditions pose a major challenge to healthcare providers and society at large. The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2030, mental illnesses will be the leading disease burden globally. Mental health services are struggling to meet the needs of users and arguably fail to reach large proportions of those in need. Youth mental health is a major problem and a priority in health strategy. Early intervention can have significant positive impact on a person’s prognosis, particularly important in affecting outcomes for young people.
Over the last few years there has been a growing interest in technologies for mental health and well-being. Advances in technology have created opportunities for collaboration between Health researchers and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) researchers to design and develop technologies to:
1. connect youth with healthcare providers,
2. provide access to affordable self-assessment, and
3. support mental health and provide treatment.
An increased level of anonymity afforded by the private use of technologies is often considered an advantage in reaching young individuals that might not otherwise seek help due to fear of being stigmatized. Technology-mediated communication can further trigger new effective care models in the wider context of prevention and support of mental disorders related to other conditions (diabetes, cancer, eating disorders, ageing, cyberbullying, etc.).
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide an opportunity for Health and ICT researchers to submit their contribution to the design and evaluation of new technologies for self-assessment, support, and intervention of mental health conditions (preferably in youth). We are interested in theoretically, empirically, and/or methodologically oriented contributions focused on supporting mental health delivered through novel designs and evaluations of technologies such as mobile apps, instant messaging and videoconferencing systems, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Internet of Things, Agents, Serious Games, and Social Media.
Over the last few years there has been a growing interest in technologies for mental health and well-being. Advances in technology have created opportunities for collaboration between Health researchers and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) researchers to design and develop technologies to:
1. connect youth with healthcare providers,
2. provide access to affordable self-assessment, and
3. support mental health and provide treatment.
An increased level of anonymity afforded by the private use of technologies is often considered an advantage in reaching young individuals that might not otherwise seek help due to fear of being stigmatized. Technology-mediated communication can further trigger new effective care models in the wider context of prevention and support of mental disorders related to other conditions (diabetes, cancer, eating disorders, ageing, cyberbullying, etc.).
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide an opportunity for Health and ICT researchers to submit their contribution to the design and evaluation of new technologies for self-assessment, support, and intervention of mental health conditions (preferably in youth). We are interested in theoretically, empirically, and/or methodologically oriented contributions focused on supporting mental health delivered through novel designs and evaluations of technologies such as mobile apps, instant messaging and videoconferencing systems, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Internet of Things, Agents, Serious Games, and Social Media.
Keywords: mental health, mhealth, gaming, virtual reality, internet of things
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
