JMIR Mental Health
Internet interventions, technologies, and digital innovations for mental health and behavior change.
JMIR Mental Health is the official journal of the Society of Digital Psychiatry.
Editor-in-Chief:
John Torous, MD, MBI, Harvard Medical School, USA
Impact Factor 4.8 CiteScore 10.8
Recent Articles
![Application of Positive Psychology in Digital Interventions for Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8884c8f0188794c43426d4606aea15c.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8884c8f0188794c43426d4606aea15c.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8884c8f0188794c43426d4606aea15c.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8884c8f0188794c43426d4606aea15c.png 2500w)
The rising prevalence of mental health issues in children, adolescents, and young adults has become an escalating public health issue, impacting approximately 10%-20% of young people on a global scale. Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) can act as powerful mental health promotion tools to reach wide-ranging audiences that might otherwise be challenging to access. This increased access would enable prevention of mental disorders and promotion of widespread well-being by enhancing self-efficacy, thereby supporting the achievement of tangible objectives.
![Comparison of Use Rates of Telehealth Services for Substance Use Disorder During and Following COVID-19 Safety Distancing Recommendations: Two Cross-Sectional Surveys Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/11b3d570da1c4c53a1ef2727304df77a.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/11b3d570da1c4c53a1ef2727304df77a.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/11b3d570da1c4c53a1ef2727304df77a.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/11b3d570da1c4c53a1ef2727304df77a.png 2500w)
The COVID-19 social distancing guidelines resulted in a dramatic transition to telephone and video technologies to deliver substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Before COVID-19, the question was, “Would telehealth would ever take hold for SUD services?” Now that social distancing guidelines have been lifted, the question is, “Will telehealth remain a commonly used care modality?” The principal purpose of the investigation was to examine the extent to which telehealth use in SUD service settings persisted following the lifting of COVID-19 safety distancing recommendations. Additionally, the study aimed to explore practitioners’ perceptions of telehealth convenience and value after its regular implementation.
![Assessing the Short-Term Efficacy of Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia With Different Types of Coaching: Randomized Controlled Comparative Trial Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/1e319718dd1d4af389bf882cfefab93c.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/1e319718dd1d4af389bf882cfefab93c.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/1e319718dd1d4af389bf882cfefab93c.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/1e319718dd1d4af389bf882cfefab93c.png 2500w)
Digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (dCBTi) is an effective intervention for treating insomnia. The findings regarding its efficacy compared to face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia are inconclusive but suggest that dCBTi might be inferior. The lack of human support and low treatment adherence are believed to be barriers to dCBTi achieving its optimal efficacy. However, there has yet to be a direct comparative trial of dCBTi with different types of coaching support.
![Large Language Models Versus Expert Clinicians in Crisis Prediction Among Telemental Health Patients: Comparative Study Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8832b3c31dcaf8981ae9c242ad7075d.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8832b3c31dcaf8981ae9c242ad7075d.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8832b3c31dcaf8981ae9c242ad7075d.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/d8832b3c31dcaf8981ae9c242ad7075d.png 2500w)
Due to recent advances in artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs) have emerged as a powerful tool for a variety of language-related tasks, including sentiment analysis, and summarization of provider-patient interactions. However, there is limited research on these models in the area of crisis prediction.
![Behavior Change Techniques Within Digital Interventions for the Treatment of Eating Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/078d92d5c39b1942821152ba12d7d702.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/078d92d5c39b1942821152ba12d7d702.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/078d92d5c39b1942821152ba12d7d702.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/078d92d5c39b1942821152ba12d7d702.png 2500w)
Previous systematic reviews of digital eating disorder interventions have demonstrated effectiveness at improving symptoms of eating disorders; however, our understanding of how these interventions work and what contributes to their effectiveness is limited. Understanding the behavior change techniques (BCTs) that are most commonly included within effective interventions may provide valuable information for researchers and developers. Establishing whether these techniques have been informed by theory will identify whether they target those mechanisms of action that have been identified as core to changing eating disorder behaviors. It will also evaluate the importance of a theoretical approach to digital intervention design.
![Acceptability and Engagement of a Smartphone-Delivered Interpretation Bias Intervention in a Sample of Black and Latinx Adults: Open Trial Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/0be51df74a3281d33c6e9d651ac6202b.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/0be51df74a3281d33c6e9d651ac6202b.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/0be51df74a3281d33c6e9d651ac6202b.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/0be51df74a3281d33c6e9d651ac6202b.png 2500w)
Access to evidence-based interventions is urgently required, especially for individuals of minoritized identities who experience unique barriers to mental health care. Digital mental health interventions have the potential to increase accessibility. Previous pilot studies testing HabitWorks, a smartphone app providing an interpretation bias intervention, have found strong engagement and adherence for HabitWorks; however, previous trials’ samples consisted of predominantly non-Hispanic, White individuals.
![The Opportunities and Risks of Large Language Models in Mental Health Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/71694ab078263b79711066f614b29fa8.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/71694ab078263b79711066f614b29fa8.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/71694ab078263b79711066f614b29fa8.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/71694ab078263b79711066f614b29fa8.png 2500w)
Global rates of mental health concerns are rising and there is increasing realization that existing models of mental healthcare will not adequately expand to meet the demand. With the emergence of large language models (LLMs) has come great optimism regarding their promise to create novel, large-scale solutions to support mental health. Despite their nascence, LLMs have already been applied to mental health-related tasks. In this review, we summarize the extant literature on efforts to use LLMs to provide mental health education, assessment, and intervention and highlight key opportunities for positive impact in each area. We then highlight risks associated with LLMs’ application to mental health and encourage adoption of strategies to mitigate these risks. The urgent need for mental health support must be balanced with responsible development, testing, and deployment of mental health LLMs. Especially critical is ensuring that mental health LLMs are fine-tuned for mental health, enhance mental health equity, adhere to ethical standards, and that people, including those with lived experience with mental health concerns, are involved in all stages from development through deployment. Prioritizing these efforts will minimize potential harms to mental health and maximize the likelihood that LLMs will positively impact mental health globally.
![Impact of Digital Inclusion Initiative to Facilitate Access to Mental Health Services: Service User Interview Study Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/110a5f145c5660a9350bc86895537f1c.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/110a5f145c5660a9350bc86895537f1c.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/110a5f145c5660a9350bc86895537f1c.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/110a5f145c5660a9350bc86895537f1c.png 2500w)
Digital exclusion, characterized by a lack of access to digital technology, connectivity, or digital skills, disproportionally affects marginalized groups. An important domain impacted by digital exclusion is access to health care. During COVID-19, health care services had to restrict face-to-face contact to limit the spread of the virus. The subsequent shift toward remote delivery of mental health care exacerbated the digital divide, with limited access to remote mental health care delivery. In response, Camden and Islington National Health Service Foundation Trust launched the innovative Digital Inclusion Scheme (DIS).
![Exploring the Efficacy of Large Language Models in Summarizing Mental Health Counseling Sessions: Benchmark Study Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/9f6a46f33fb9f805274454de15e2065e.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/9f6a46f33fb9f805274454de15e2065e.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/9f6a46f33fb9f805274454de15e2065e.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/9f6a46f33fb9f805274454de15e2065e.png 2500w)
Comprehensive session summaries enable effective continuity in mental health counseling, facilitating informed therapy planning. However, manual summarization presents a significant challenge, diverting experts’ attention from the core counseling process. Leveraging advances in automatic summarization to streamline the summarization process addresses this issue because this enables mental health professionals to access concise summaries of lengthy therapy sessions, thereby increasing their efficiency. However, existing approaches often overlook the nuanced intricacies inherent in counseling interactions.
![Reliability and Validity of Ecological Momentary Assessment Response Time–Based Measures of Emotional Clarity: Secondary Data Analysis Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/f601f421ae6071eca2edce9fa00f4a50.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/f601f421ae6071eca2edce9fa00f4a50.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/f601f421ae6071eca2edce9fa00f4a50.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/f601f421ae6071eca2edce9fa00f4a50.png 2500w)
Emotional clarity has often been assessed with self-report measures, but efforts have also been made to measure it passively, which has advantages such as avoiding potential inaccuracy in responses stemming from social desirability bias or poor insight into emotional clarity. Response times (RTs) to emotion items administered in ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) may be an indirect indicator of emotional clarity. Another proposed indicator is the drift rate parameter, which assumes that, aside from how fast a person responds to emotion items, the measurement of emotional clarity also requires the consideration of how careful participants were in providing responses.
![Technologies for Supporting Individuals and Caregivers Living With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Scoping Review Article Thumbnail](https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/84082447034c4c746f933104183edfa5.png 480w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/84082447034c4c746f933104183edfa5.png 960w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/84082447034c4c746f933104183edfa5.png 1920w,https://asset.jmir.pub/assets/84082447034c4c746f933104183edfa5.png 2500w)
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a common developmental disability that requires lifelong and ongoing support, but is often difficult to find due to a lack of trained professionals, limited funding and support available. Technology could provide cost-effective, accessible, and effective support to those living with FASD and their caregivers.