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Chakrabarti S. Digital psychiatry in low-and-middle-income countries: New developments and the way forward. World J Psychiatry 2024; 14:350-361. [PMID: 38617977 PMCID: PMC11008387 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i3.350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the greater share of the global mental health burden but are ill-equipped to deal with it because of severe resource constraints leading to a large treatment gap. The remote provision of mental health services by digital means can effectively augment conventional services in LMICs to reduce the treatment gap. Digital psychiatry in LMICs has always lagged behind high-income countries, but there have been encouraging developments in the last decade. There is increasing research on the efficacy of digital psychiatric interventions. However, the evidence is not adequate to conclude that digital psychiatric interventions are invariably effective in LMICs. A striking development has been the rise in mobile and smartphone ownership in LMICs, which has driven the increasing use of mobile technologies to deliver mental health services. An innovative use of mobile technologies has been to optimize task-shifting, which involves delivering mental healthcare services in community settings using non-specialist health professionals. Emerging evidence from LMICs shows that it is possible to use digital tools to train non-specialist workers effectively and ensure that the psychosocial interventions they deliver are efficacious. Despite these promising developments, many barriers such as service costs, underdeveloped infrastructure, lack of trained professionals, and significant disparities in access to digital services impede the progress of digital psychiatry in LMICs. To overcome these barriers, digital psychiatric services in LMICs should address contextual factors influencing the delivery of digital services, ensure collaboration between different stakeholders, and focus on reducing the digital divide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subho Chakrabarti
- Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, UT, India
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Smith KA, Ostinelli EG, Ede R, Allard L, Thomson M, Hewitt K, Brown P, Zangani C, Jenkins M, Hinze V, Ma G, Pothulu P, Henshall C, Malhi GS, Every-Palmer S, Cipriani A. Assessing the Impact of Evidence-Based Mental Health Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review and Qualitative Evaluation. JMIR Ment Health 2023; 10:e52901. [PMID: 38133912 PMCID: PMC10760515 DOI: 10.2196/52901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab (OxPPL) developed open-access web-based summaries of mental health care guidelines (OxPPL guidance) in key areas such as digital approaches and telepsychiatry, suicide and self-harm, domestic violence and abuse, perinatal care, and vaccine hesitancy and prioritization in the context of mental illness, to inform timely clinical decision-making. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the practice of creating evidence-based health guidelines during health emergencies using the OxPPL guidance as an example. An international network of clinical sites and colleagues (in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom) including clinicians, researchers, and experts by experience aimed to (1) evaluate the clinical impact of the OxPPL guidance, as an example of an evidence-based summary of guidelines; (2) review the literature for other evidence-based summaries of COVID-19 guidelines regarding mental health care; and (3) produce a framework for response to future global health emergencies. METHODS The impact and clinical utility of the OxPPL guidance were assessed using clinicians' feedback via an international survey and focus groups. A systematic review (protocol registered on Open Science Framework) identified summaries or syntheses of guidelines for mental health care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed the accuracy of the methods used in the OxPPL guidance by identifying any resources that the guidance had not included. RESULTS Overall, 80.2% (146/182) of the clinicians agreed or strongly agreed that the OxPPL guidance answered important clinical questions, 73.1% (133/182) stated that the guidance was relevant to their service, 59.3% (108/182) said that the guidelines had or would have a positive impact on their clinical practice, 42.9% (78/182) that they had shared or would share the guidance, and 80.2% (146/182) stated that the methodology could be used during future health crises. The focus groups found that the combination of evidence-based knowledge, clinical viewpoint, and visibility was crucial for clinical implementation. The systematic review identified 2543 records, of which 2 syntheses of guidelines met all the inclusion criteria, but only 1 (the OxPPL guidance) used evidence-based methodology. The review showed that the OxPPL guidance had included the majority of eligible guidelines, but 6 were identified that had not been included. CONCLUSIONS The study identified an unmet need for web-based, evidence-based mental health care guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The OxPPL guidance was evaluated by clinicians as having a real-world clinical impact. Robust evidence-based methodology and expertise in mental health are necessary, but easy accessibility is also needed, and digital technology can materially help. Further health emergencies are inevitable and now is the ideal time to prepare, including addressing the training needs of clinicians, patients, and carers, especially in areas such as telepsychiatry and digital mental health. For future planning, guidance should be widely disseminated on an international platform, with allocated resources to support adaptive updates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine A Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Edoardo G Ostinelli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Roger Ede
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Allard
- Pharmacy Department, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Kiran Hewitt
- Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | - Petra Brown
- Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacy and Optometry, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Zangani
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Jenkins
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Verena Hinze
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - George Ma
- Pharmacy Department, The Prince Charles Hospital, Metro North Health, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Prajnesh Pothulu
- Pharmacy Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Catherine Henshall
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Institute of Applied Health Research, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nursing and Midwifery Office, National Institute for Health and Care Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gin S Malhi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Academic Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Kolling Institute, Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- CADE Clinic and Mood-T, Royal North Shore Hospital, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St. Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susanna Every-Palmer
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Andrea Cipriani
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Sousa J, Smith A, Richard J, Rabinowitz M, Raja P, Mehrotra A, Busch AB, Huskamp HA, Uscher-Pines L. Choosing Or Losing In Behavioral Health: A Study Of Patients' Experiences Selecting Telehealth Versus In-Person Care. Health Aff (Millwood) 2023; 42:1275-1282. [PMID: 37669481 PMCID: PMC10762624 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
It is not known how the growth of telehealth has affected patients' choice of visit modalities (telehealth versus in person). In 2023 we conducted a mixed-methods study that paired a nationally representative survey of 2,071 adults (including 571 who used behavioral health services) and semistructured interviews with twenty-six people with depression or bipolar disorder. We explored patients' experiences with visit modality selection and their agency in the decision. Approximately one-third of patients receiving therapy or medication visits reported that their clinicians did not offer both modalities. Thirty-two percent reported that they did not typically receive their preferred modality, and 45 percent did not believe that their clinician considered their modality preferences. Qualitative findings revealed that some clinicians did not elicit patients' modality preferences. Perceived lack of choice affected satisfaction and rapport with clinicians and encouraged some people to seek care elsewhere. These findings highlight trade-offs in policies to preserve patient choice and approaches that clinicians can take to identify and accommodate patients' preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Sousa
- Jessica Sousa , RAND Corporation, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew Smith
- Andrew Smith, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | | | - Pushpa Raja
- Pushpa Raja, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California
| | - Ateev Mehrotra
- Ateev Mehrotra, Harvard University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alisa B Busch
- Alisa B. Busch, Harvard University and McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
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Wong SMY, Chen EYH. Significance of timely responses to mental health crises during unprecedented societal and global changes using an agile, empathic and user-centred digital approach: lessons from the Hong Kong experience. BMJ Glob Health 2023; 8:e013540. [PMID: 37612035 PMCID: PMC10450124 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Ming Yin Wong
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Eric Yu Hai Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Smith KA, Blease C, Faurholt-Jepsen M, Firth J, Van Daele T, Moreno C, Carlbring P, Ebner-Priemer UW, Koutsouleris N, Riper H, Mouchabac S, Torous J, Cipriani A. Digital mental health: challenges and next steps. BMJ MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 26:e300670. [PMID: 37197797 PMCID: PMC10231442 DOI: 10.1136/bmjment-2023-300670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Digital innovations in mental health offer great potential, but present unique challenges. Using a consensus development panel approach, an expert, international, cross-disciplinary panel met to provide a framework to conceptualise digital mental health innovations, research into mechanisms and effectiveness and approaches for clinical implementation. Key questions and outputs from the group were agreed by consensus, and are presented and discussed in the text and supported by case examples in an accompanying appendix. A number of key themes emerged. (1) Digital approaches may work best across traditional diagnostic systems: we do not have effective ontologies of mental illness and transdiagnostic/symptom-based approaches may be more fruitful. (2) Approaches in clinical implementation of digital tools/interventions need to be creative and require organisational change: not only do clinicians and patients need training and education to be more confident and skilled in using digital technologies to support shared care decision-making, but traditional roles need to be extended, with clinicians working alongside digital navigators and non-clinicians who are delivering protocolised treatments. (3) Designing appropriate studies to measure the effectiveness of implementation is also key: including digital data raises unique ethical issues, and measurement of potential harms is only just beginning. (4) Accessibility and codesign are needed to ensure innovations are long lasting. (5) Standardised guidelines for reporting would ensure effective synthesis of the evidence to inform clinical implementation. COVID-19 and the transition to virtual consultations have shown us the potential for digital innovations to improve access and quality of care in mental health: now is the ideal time to act.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine A Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Charlotte Blease
- Division of Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Participatory eHealth and Health Data Research Group, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maria Faurholt-Jepsen
- Copenhagen Affective Disorder Research Center (CADIC), Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Joseph Firth
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Tom Van Daele
- Expertise Unit Psychology, Technology and Society, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Mechelen, Belgium
| | - Carmen Moreno
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, IiSGM, CIBERSAM, ISCIII, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Facultad de Medicina, Madrid, Spain
| | - Per Carlbring
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulrich W Ebner-Priemer
- Mental mHealth Lab, Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
- mHealth Methods in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nikolaos Koutsouleris
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, München, Germany
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Heleen Riper
- Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Duivendrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Stephane Mouchabac
- Department of Psychiatry, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Infrastructure for Clinical Research in Neurosciences (iCRIN), Brain Institute (ICM), INSERM, CNRS, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - John Torous
- Division of Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrea Cipriani
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
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Cipriani A. What I stand for as BMJ Mental Health editor. BMJ MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 26:e300664. [PMID: 36792175 PMCID: PMC10035775 DOI: 10.1136/bmjment-2023-300664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Cipriani
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxfor, UK
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Konkolÿ Thege B, Emmanuel T, Callanan J, Askland KD. Trans-diagnostic determinants of psychotherapeutic treatment response: The pressing need and new opportunities for a more systematic way of selecting psychotherapeutic treatment in the age of virtual service delivery. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1102434. [PMID: 36926171 PMCID: PMC10013819 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1102434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous forms of psychotherapy have demonstrated effectiveness for individuals with specific mental disorders. It is, therefore, the task of the clinician to choose the most appropriate therapeutic approach for any given client to maximize effectiveness. This can prove to be a difficult task due to at least three considerations: (1) there is no treatment approach, method or model that works well on all patients, even within a particular diagnostic class; (2) several treatments are equally efficacious (i.e., more likely to be effective than no treatment at all) when considered only in terms of the patient's diagnosis; and (3) effectiveness in the real-world therapeutic setting is determined by a host of non-diagnostic factors. Typically, consideration of these latter, trans-diagnostic factors is unmethodical or altogether excluded from treatment planning - often resulting in suboptimal patient care, inappropriate clinic resource utilization, patient dissatisfaction with care, patient demoralization/hopelessness, and treatment failure. In this perspective article, we argue that a more systematic research on and clinical consideration of trans-diagnostic factors determining psychotherapeutic treatment outcome (i.e., treatment moderators) would be beneficial and - with the seismic shift toward online service delivery - is more feasible than it used to be. Such a transition toward more client-centered care - systematically considering variables such as sociodemographic characteristics, patient motivation for change, self-efficacy, illness acuity, character pathology, trauma history when making treatment choices - would result in not only decreased symptom burden and improved quality of life but also better resource utilization in mental health care and improved staff morale reducing staff burnout and turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barna Konkolÿ Thege
- Waypoint Research Institute, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Talia Emmanuel
- Waypoint Research Institute, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, ON, Canada
| | | | - Kathleen D Askland
- Askland Medicine Professional Corporation, Midland, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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