Scaling up of mental health services in the digital age: The rise of technology and its application to low- and middle-income countries

ABSTRACT

This chapter describes the rapid spread of digital mental health technologies across the world and further explores specific case studies in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We are increasingly seeing rapid rates of technological innovation and adaptation in low-resource settings including the widespread use of smartphone mobile devices, apps and web-based platforms. Health-care settings have taken advantage of this growth and are maximizing its potential by introducing these technologies in their service delivery. These technologies have been applied to various settings such as training of health workers, screening patients, and care delivery. This chapter explores five major areas benefitting from these emerging technologies (1) community outreach, challenging stigma, and spreading awareness, (2) youth mental health, (3) mental health in humanitarian settings, (4) clinical care and frontline health workers, and (5) technology for severe mental disorders. We close the chapter with a discussion of broad ethical considerations in LMICs, highlighting risks pertaining to misinformation, victimization, and widening health inequities. Finally, we emphasize the role of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic in addressing the potential rise and exacerbation of mental health problems, and how these technologies can potentially be leveraged to alleviate this burden through the remote provision of essential mental health services.