State of the Science: Using Digital Mental Health Interventions to Extend the Impact of Psychological Services

Abstract

In recent years, digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have emerged as a paradigm shift in care delivery that could expand the scale, efficiency, and effectiveness of psychological services. However, DMHI impact is constrained by issues related to limited reach, poor adoption, implementation barriers, and insufficient long-term maintenance. Organized by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, this paper surveys the current state of DMHIs, highlighting research and practice gaps as well as potential strategies to move the field forward. Similarly, we discuss the role that emerging technologies and changes in the profession will play in shaping DMHIs in years to come. Finally, concrete and actionable steps to advance equity in the DMHI field are provided, with an emphasis on strategies to increase the representativeness of marginalized populations in DMHI research, the inclusion of these groups in the design and testing of DMHIs, and how to improve the contextual and cultural fit of DMHIs.