These are the top 10 innovations in mental health (2023)

Although the mental health of people around the world has suffered greatly in 2020, there is cause for cautious optimism.

The impact of COVID-19 on our collective and individual well-being has forced the world to face mental health challenges like never before, and innovative thinkers have risen to the challenge.

From different areas they have provided solutions to a problem that previously seemed unsolvable. In an effort to highlight these exciting developments, the World Economic ForumGlobal Future Mental Health Councilwas connectedamerican scientistto select the ten innovations that contribute the most to creating a better world for all people with mental illness.

New drug therapies for treatment-resistant depression

Depression affects more than264 million peopleof all ages worldwide. When it comes to treatmentabout a thirdof those with depression are unresponsive to two or more antidepressants and are considered treatment-resistant. However, recent scientific advances have led to the development of new antidepressants that work through entirely different mechanisms.

Based on this research, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency approved esketamine, a chemical related to ketamine, a cosmetic and recreational drug for treatment-resistant depression. The regulatory approvals open up the possibility of developing the next generation of treatments in this class.

Telemedicine and community mental health care during COVID-19

Digital supply options through teletherapy and all sorts of new apps are exploding.increaseduring the pandemic. Online services are reaching the most remote regions, bypassing the fear of stigma surrounding the decision to seek treatment. They can effectively expand the capacity of health and social services. The public and private sectors in several countries have developed online mental health support and services, such asTogether,Reach,7 BagsjPOSITION AN DER UCLA, which are often co-designed and mentored by community peers, who have become trusted sources of support and referral for young people, their families and other vulnerable individuals facing mental health challenges.

Social media data to identify trends and prevent self-harm

More than four billion people worldwide use social networks and generate large amounts of data from their devices. A growing body of research shows that patterns of language and imagery in posts can reveal and predict mental health conditions in individuals and assess mental health trends in entire populations. Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and other data science tools, researchers, tech companies, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations can use these gigantic databases to search for signs of illnesses like depression, anxiety, and suicide risk. .

Psychedelics to aid in the management of psychiatric disorders

The use of psychedelics, especially psilocybin and MDMA, is enjoying a renaissance. Recent studies have reignited hope that psychedelics could be effective medications for mental disorders. Patients with disorders like MDD and PTSD can certainly use innovative, effective and safe treatments. Less than half of people with these disorders respond to medication or psychotherapy, and about a third of MDD sufferers suffer from what is known as "treatment-refractory" depression, which does not respond at all. Discovering new approaches to treating mental illness is crucial. If psychedelics prove effective and safe for these disorders, they could prove transformative.

Digital devices to revolutionize the way research is done

Today, we can use smartphones and wearable devices to create more representative datasets of our world population than the studies we are used to doSTRANGEResearch participants (Western, educated, industrialized, affluent, and democratic); so typical college students from the USA. Such data has already proven invaluable in filling dozens, if not hundreds, of research gaps by gathering “ecologically valid” real-world information from people in their natural, everyday lives rather than in the artificial environment of a typical laboratory. In addition, the information can help us to bringobjective and quantitative data along the linePsychology and Psychiatry Researcher.

Digital tools to educate providers and close the mental health gap

It is estimated that 4 in 5 people with mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries do not receive any mental health care. A lack of awareness of the availability of psychiatric treatment combined with small mental health budgets allocated to care for a small number of people in psychiatric hospitals contribute to this outcome. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the extraordinary demand for mental health and psychosocial support in affected communities and amplified the way digital technologies are integrated into our lives today. Digital tools can be used effectively for monitoring and quality assurance of psychological interventions on a large scale.

Online educational programs on good mental health practices

One of the most effective methods of implementing mental health education is through active school systems. We currently live in a hyper-connected world where the future of learning will consist of a mix of digital and hybrid (online and offline) models. The addition of technology and digitization will ensure greater personalization, active participation and the ability to scale at an affordable cost. Through public-private partnerships, collaborations with technology and social media companies, and the endorsement of these projects by celebrities or social icons, we can create a real revolution in mental health education for young people.

New workforce models to keep employees mentally fit

While the idea of ​​research into workplace wellbeing and disease control is not new, it remains to be understood how organizations and researchers can best be involved in its implementation. The way research and evaluation are structured, conducted and linked is an area ripe for innovation. And in the business context, there are just as many ways to treat research with the same insight and rigor as business performance or product strategy. These efforts become even more effective when private organizations voluntarily pool their findings and share their data with public sector entities; What works in one company will most likely be effective in similar organizations. Models like this are starting to work.

Predictive analytics to guide mental health policy

Until recently, research on population mental health was dominated by retrospective studies of past events, which had few opportunities to analytically anticipate and strategically shape future developments. The course is changing now. A number of models of the social and economic impact of COVID-19 on mental health have been developed over the past 12 months, simulating mental stress trajectories, waiting times for mental health services, mental health-related hospital visits, mental health suicide and more the last 12 months. next 5 years. These simulations helped identify where the most timely and effective investments lie, informed public discourse, and generated significant investment in mental health and suicide prevention.

Digital marketplaces to ensure quality mental health solutions

More than 10,000 applications in the Apple and Google Play stores claim to treat mental health issues, and the list doesn't end with downloads for your smartphone. With the vast variety of solutions, a number of quality control questions have arisen: Which digital tools have been developed and tested based on the best clinical evidence to ensure they bring significant benefit to patients? This is where the power of "soft standards" and regulation comes into play: Different organisations, e.gA ghost,Health Navigatorand theWorld Economic Forum, have started developing assessment criteria for digital mental health tools. These measures allow innovators to receive a seal of approval that a product is clinically validated, ethical, safe and effective.