Your Guide to Digital Interventions in Mental Health

Summary

Nearly 50 million American adults, or about one in five, experienced a mental illness in 2022, according to Mental Health America. Various digital mental health interventions have been developed to help mental health professionals provide affordable and accessible care. Read on to learn more about digital interventions your clients can use and their benefits. [Mental Health America] [Mayo Clinic]

The State of Mental Health

The Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) and nongovernmental organizations track the state of mental health among Americans, exposing the need for accessible mental health care services. 

Mental Health in the U.S.

• 15% of adults had a substance use disorder (SUD) in 2023.
• Over 12.1 million adults, or 4.8%, reported serious thoughts of suicide.
• Nearly 3 million youth suffered from severe major depression.
• More than 28 million Americans, 55% of adults with a mental illness, received no treatment.
• 11% of adults with a mental illness were uninsured.
• 1 in 10 youth, or 1.2 million, with private insurance didn’t have coverage for mental health. [Mental Health America 2]
• 122 million people live in a federally designated mental health professional shortage area (HPSA). [HRSA].

Barriers to Mental Healthcare

• Stigma
• Cost
• Privacy concerns
• Time constraints
• Desire to address problems independently [Nature]

Digital Tools for Mental Healthcare

Mental health professionals and facilities can provide services through apps, wearable technology, and virtual reality. Explore some digital tools that can help expand your mental health practice and provide accessible care for clients.

Types of Digital Tools

• Apps
  • Talkspace
    • Subscription-based app designed to help users manage depression.
    • Offers video sessions, private messaging with therapists, and workshops.
    • Accepts insurance and offers medication management services and psychiatry.
    • Provides couples therapy, teen therapy, and an eight-week insomnia program.
    • 93% of users would recommend Talkspace to a friend.
  • Headspace
    • Online platform supporting mindfulness, meditation, and self-care.
    • Offers a library of soothing, themed meditations; movement and dance classes; activities to promote focus; audio sleepscapes; and more.
    • Users praise the app for its high-production quality of guided meditations. [VeryWellMind]

• Virtual reality (VR) therapy
  • What it is:
    • VR uses headsets to create virtual worlds and scenarios that allow therapists to:
      • Teach skills 
      • Minimize fears
      • Boost confidence
      • Support processing of past trauma
    • VR for exposure therapy may help your clients address phobias, reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), build social and emotional skills, and treat anxiety and depression. [MedicalNewsToday] 
    • VR may also help treat panic disorder, acute and chronic pain, and addiction.
  • Tools
    • Psious VRET
      • Platform used by more than 2,000 health professionals to treat phobias, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and eating disorders.
      • 70 environments and additional tools to promote mindfulness.
    • Virtually Better
      • Exposure therapy that can help treat phobias, addictions, and PTSD.
      • Supported by partnerships with over 60 research projects around the world.
    • AppliedVR
      • Systems and training used to support treatment for anxiety, stress, and pain management by over 30,000 patients in over 200 hospitals
      • Over 40 immersive environments.
      • Includes distraction games and breathing exercises. [Positive Psychology]
• Wearables
  • What it is:
    • Wearable technology can detect symptoms of mental health issues by monitoring breathing, heart rate, and other physical activity. [VeryWellMind2]
  • Tools
    • Apollo
      • Device worn on the wrist that delivers vibrations to improve calm and focus and reduce stress for relaxation and healthy sleep.
      • Offers mindfulness practices through the body’s natural response to touch.
      • The manufacturer reports that users experience:
        • A 40% reduction in stress and anxiety levels
        • A 25% increase in focus and concentration [Apollo]
    • Oura
      • Smart ring that tracks sleep patterns, heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, daily movement, menstrual cycle, and stress.
      • Integrated with an app that displays personal data and offers tips for improving health.
      • Helps users identify unique stress triggers and recovery tactics.
      • The manufacturer reports that:
        • 86% of users saw an improvement in sleep quality
        • 88% of users saw an improvement in overall health [Oura]

---

“Digital tools like apps, VR, and wearables are revolutionizing mental health care by increasing accessibility, reducing stigma, and empowering both professionals and patients to take charge of mental well-being.”

---

The Benefits of Digital Interventions in Mental Health

Apps, VR, and wearable technology can benefit mental health professionals and their clients. Below are some benefits you and your patients can experience through digital interventions in mental health. 

Mental Health Benefits 

• Apps
  • Increase access to mental healthcare.
  • Decrease stigma in seeking psychological care. 
  • Allow mental health professionals to track patient progress remotely. 
  • Can complement in-person therapy. [The Week]
• VR
  • Using avatars can enhance the client-therapist relationship.
  • Added layer of interpersonal distance can make it easier for patients to disclose feelings and negative experiences. [PsychCentral]
• Wearables
  • Patients can take charge of individual mental healthcare.
  • Improve awareness of condition, supporting mindfulness.
  • Allow mental health professionals to virtually keep track of patient symptoms.
  • Help individuals respond to symptoms before escalation.
  • Data collection to support treatment offered by healthcare professionals and therapists. [VeryWellMind2]

Explore Digital Interventions

Digital interventions are playing an increasing role in the mental health arena, serving individuals around the globe experiencing a range of symptoms and illnesses. If you want to increase the accessibility of your services or add digital interventions to your practice methods, consider the potential of these tools to complement treatment and enhance the client experience and learn more about telehealth through continuing education courses at CE4Less.

Sources (note: an ADA-compliant source list will be provided with the on-page summary for this infographic)

https://www.mhanational.org/issues/2022/mental-health-america-adult-data

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44159-021-00003-1

https://www.verywellmind.com/best-mental-health-apps-4692902

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vr-therapy

https://positivepsychology.com/virtual-reality-therapy/#apps

https://www.verywellmind.com/wearable-devices-help-with-mental-health-symptoms-6502966

https://apolloneuro.com

https://theweek.com/the-big-debate/1025872/mental-health-apps-pros-and-cons

https://www.xr.health/virtual-reality-therapy

https://psychcentral.com/news/virtual-reality-could-help-make-therapy-easier

https://mhanational.org/sites/default/files/2023-State-of-Mental-Health-in-America-Report.pdf

https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areashttps://wisqars.cdc.gov/lcd/?o=LCD&y1=2021&y2=2021&ct=12&cc=ALL&g=00&s=0&r=0&ry=0&e=0&ar=lcd1age&at=groups&ag=lcd1age&a1=0&a2=199

Back to Blog Home

Latest Articles

• Why Thousands of Clinicians Are Exploring Psychedelic Therapy for Stuck Clients
• When Seasonal Depression Doesn’t Lift With Spring
• Are Continuing Education Expenses Tax Deductible for Mental Health Professionals?
• How to Scale your Mental Health Practice this Year
• Self-Care Tips From Mental Health Professionals: Insights From Our Instagram Community

Featured Course

NAMI Ask the Expert: Cognition Series Part 1- Cognitive Remediation and Employment: The Thinking Skills for Work Program OD017

Free Course

Ethics And Boundary Issues E097J