Mobile “mHealth” Interventions in Mental Health Care
This Editor’s Choice collection was published online in October 2021. To review all collections, please visit the Editor’s Choice section of ps.psychiatryonline.org.
Mobile health or “mHealth” interventions using text messaging, apps, and websites have the potential to reduce barriers to mental health care, including difficulties navigating, accessing, and engaging in services. While evidence supports the feasibility and acceptability of these interventions in mental health treatment, continued research is needed to evaluate their efficacy and implementation, both as stand-alone interventions and to augment traditional services. There is a risk that mHealth innovation could inadvertently marginalize vulnerable populations that already face difficulties accessing needed treatment, including people experiencing poverty or lacking digital literacy skills. Codesign of interventions with people with lived experience can help ensure that mHealth interventions meet the needs of the populations they intend to support.
This collection examines innovative mHealth interventions that are changing mental health care. The first section highlights some of the latest mobile apps that have been evaluated in the journal. The next section presents articles that describe challenges that may arise in mHealth intervention implementation. The final section discusses the future of mHealth interventions, their efficacy, and their anticipated role in enhancing accessibility to mental health services.
Examples of mobile mental health interventions
Mobile Health (mHealth) Versus Clinic-Based Group Intervention for People With Serious Mental Illness: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Ben-Zeev D, Brian RM, Jonathan G, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2018; 69:978–985
Augmenting Evidence-Based Care With a Texting Mobile Interventionist: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Ben-Zeev D, Buck B, Meller S, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2020; 71:1218–1224
Virtual Hope Box: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Smartphone App for Emotional Regulation and Coping With Distress
Bush NE, Smolenski DJ, Denneson LM, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2016; 68:330–336
Randomized Trial of a Mobile Personal Health Record for Behavioral Health Homes
Druss BG, Li J, Tapscott S, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2020; 71:803–809
Mobile Behavioral Sensing for Outpatients and Inpatients With Schizophrenia
Ben-Zeev D, Wang R, Abdullah S, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2015; 67:558–561
Evaluating and implementing mobile mental health interventions
A Hierarchical Framework for Evaluation and Informed Decision Making Regarding Smartphone Apps for Clinical Care
Torous JB, Chan SR, Gipson SY-MT, Kim JW, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2018; 69:498–500
Mental Health App Evaluation: Updating the American Psychiatric Association’s Framework Through a Stakeholder-Engaged Workshop
Lagan S, Emerson MR, King D, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2021; 73:1095–1098
Three Problems With Current Digital Mental Health Research . . . and Three Things We Can Do About Them
Mohr DC, Weingardt KR, Reddy M, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2017; 68:427–429
Smartphone Apps for College Mental Health: A Concern for Privacy and Quality of Current Offerings
Melcher J, Torous J
Psychiatr Serv 2020; 71:1114–1119
Curating the Digital Mental Health Landscape With a Guide to Behavioral Health Apps: A County-Driven Resource
Montgomery RM, Brandysky L, Neary M, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2021; 72:1229–1232
User Engagement in Mental Health Apps: A Review of Measurement, Reporting, and Validity
Ng MM, Firth J, Minen M, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2019; 70:538–544
The future of mobile mental health interventions
Focusing on the Future of Mobile Mental Health and Smartphone Interventions
Torous JB
Psychiatr Serv 2018; 69:945–945
Banbury Forum Consensus Statement on the Path Forward for Digital Mental Health Treatment
Mohr DC, Azocar F, Bertagnolli A, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2021; 72:677–683
Technology in Mental Health: Creating New Knowledge and Inventing the Future of Services
Ben-Zeev D
Psychiatr Serv 2017; 68:107–108
Enhancing Standards and Principles in Digital Mental Health With Recovery-Focused Guidelines for Mobile, Online, and Remote Monitoring Technologies
Fortuna KL, Walker R, Fisher DB, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2019; 70:1080–1081
