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Improving Digital Mental Health for Young People

Irishu
Improving Digital Mental Health for Young People

Global mental health issues affect significant numbers of people; young people (ages 12-25) are going through a high-risk period associated with the onset of mental illness. Approximately 75 percent of mental health problems occur before the age of 25, significantly affecting decades of productive life in adulthood. The prevalence of mental health problems in young people has been increasing recently, leading to an increased demand for support.

Meanwhile, technology adoption and technological advances provide opportunities for accessible, affordable, evidence-based psychotherapy. Various technologies have emerged to offer psychological interventions into daily life. These technologies support a variety of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. The powerful computational capabilities of different technologies, integration of sensors, and the ability to connect with other wearable devices offer the potential to assist in timely or high-risk situations, as well as to predict when such situations may arise.

Additionally, the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools among young people reflects a growing trend, promising improved early detection and intervention strategies and revolutionizing the field of mental health care. Studies have shown that AI applications can improve mental health outcomes in a variety of contexts. However, the quality of studies evaluating these AI tools varies, with some lacking effective methodologies or solid evidence supporting their effectiveness. It is crucial for future research to focus on the effectiveness and quality of AI applications and ensure that they are evidence-based and reliable.

The primary aim of this Research Topic is to bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds to address the challenges and opportunities in the evolving landscape of technological interventions to support youth mental health. We aim to explore the use of technologies to support young people’s mental health and the latest developments in this field. Recent advances in online platforms, app-based interventions, wearable devices, remote monitoring technologies, and artificial intelligence applications offer the opportunity to provide personalized and accessible mental health resources. This includes developing generational models to offer mental support to individuals seeking help, developing explainable models to support decision-making, and using advanced machine learning techniques to predict or detect different mental states. We also aim to examine the effectiveness of artificial intelligence tools and the quality of studies conducted in this field.

We invite authors to submit original research articles, reviews, methods articles, data reports, opinion articles, and perspective articles that address but are not limited to the following themes:

– Early detection and prevention of mental conditions through the use of technology
– Applying machine learning, deep learning or other advanced methods to detect or predict youth mental health conditions
– Design and develop early interventions or other interventions to support young people’s mental health, taking into account their application to specific contexts
– Automated approaches to early diagnosis or prevention of mental health disorders, considering application to specific mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder
– Designing and developing innovative technologies for young people’s mental health
– Design, development and evaluation of new artificial intelligence-based intervention approaches to support young people’s mental health
– The effectiveness of artificial intelligence tools and the quality of studies evaluating their impact
– Innovative artificial intelligence-based studies on various mental health problems for young people
– Discussion of ethical and methodological issues regarding advanced approaches to young people’s digital mental health


Keywords: Youth, digital mental health, technology, mental health, artificial intelligence


Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the department and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to refer an out-of-scope manuscript to a more appropriate section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Global mental health issues affect significant numbers of people; young people (ages 12-25) are going through a high-risk period associated with the onset of mental illness. Approximately 75 percent of mental health problems occur before the age of 25, significantly affecting decades of productive life in adulthood. The prevalence of mental health problems in young people has been increasing recently, leading to an increased demand for support.

Meanwhile, technology adoption and technological advances provide opportunities for accessible, affordable, evidence-based psychotherapy. Various technologies have emerged to offer psychological interventions into daily life. These technologies support a variety of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. The powerful computational capabilities of different technologies, integration of sensors, and the ability to connect with other wearable devices offer the potential to assist in timely or high-risk situations, as well as to predict when such situations may arise.

Additionally, the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools among young people reflects a growing trend, promising improved early detection and intervention strategies and revolutionizing the field of mental health care. Studies have shown that AI applications can improve mental health outcomes in a variety of contexts. However, the quality of studies evaluating these AI tools varies, with some lacking effective methodologies or solid evidence supporting their effectiveness. It is crucial for future research to focus on the effectiveness and quality of AI applications and ensure that they are evidence-based and reliable.

The primary aim of this Research Topic is to bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds to address the challenges and opportunities in the evolving landscape of technological interventions to support youth mental health. We aim to explore the use of technologies to support young people’s mental health and the latest developments in this field. Recent advances in online platforms, app-based interventions, wearable devices, remote monitoring technologies, and artificial intelligence applications offer the opportunity to provide personalized and accessible mental health resources. This includes developing generational models to offer mental support to individuals seeking help, developing explainable models to support decision-making, and using advanced machine learning techniques to predict or detect different mental states. We also aim to examine the effectiveness of artificial intelligence tools and the quality of studies conducted in this field.

We invite authors to submit original research articles, reviews, methods articles, data reports, opinion articles, and perspective articles that address but are not limited to the following themes:

– Early detection and prevention of mental conditions through the use of technology
– Applying machine learning, deep learning or other advanced methods to detect or predict youth mental health conditions
– Design and develop early interventions or other interventions to support young people’s mental health, taking into account their application to specific contexts
– Automated approaches to early diagnosis or prevention of mental health disorders, considering application to specific mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder
– Designing and developing innovative technologies for young people’s mental health
– Design, development and evaluation of new artificial intelligence-based intervention approaches to support young people’s mental health
– The effectiveness of artificial intelligence tools and the quality of studies evaluating their impact
– Innovative artificial intelligence-based studies on various mental health problems for young people
– Discussion of ethical and methodological issues regarding advanced approaches to young people’s digital mental health


Keywords: Youth, digital mental health, technology, mental health, artificial intelligence


Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the department and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to refer an out-of-scope manuscript to a more appropriate section or journal at any stage of peer review.