Mental Health Clinicians as Advocates for Effective, Equitable, Accessible, and Safe Digital Mental Health Services.

Abstract

Mental health clinicians are increasingly engaging with a range of innovative, technology-driven approaches to care, from telehealth to digital therapeutics, given their potential to significantly increase access to care among patients with diagnoses of varying clinical severity. However, the continued integration of digital mental health interventions into mental health service delivery requires ongoing attention to their effectiveness, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, equitable accessibility, privacy and security, and safety. Ensuring these factors are addressed requires efforts from multiple entities, with mental health clinicians playing a particularly pivotal role. This article describes approaches mental health clinicians can take to advocate for effective, equitable, accessible, and safe digital mental health services. Recommendations include selecting digital interventions with demonstrated effectiveness and providing expertise to further the evidence base, collaborating with patients to provide culturally responsive care, advocating for expanded delivery and coverage of digital interventions, and openly discussing safety and privacy considerations with patients.