The recent White House Report on Mental Health Research Priorities focuses on several mental health domains, including digital mental health (DMH). This is reassuring but also highlights the long road ahead for the technology. The number of digital mental health products exploded at the start of the pandemic (e.g., mobile apps, devices, virtual reality), partly due to a large infusion of venture capital into DMH companies and the need to access well-being and mental health resources remotely. Although funding in the space has slowed in recent months, the number of apps, widgets, and gadgets claiming to help improve mental health is still extensive, and the efficacy data is limited.
The Report first highlights the need for more research on the technology. This includes the efficacy and effectiveness of the product but also the safety, usability, accessibility, and scalability. Our team at VXVY Mental Health is passionate about the effective and safe implementation of DMH in real-world settings through our experiences deploying technology in a diverse range of settings, including but not limited to K-12 schools, corporations, mental health clinics, corrections, and first responders. We agree that the goals outlined by the Report are essential, and there are should also include feasibility and acceptability. If these key components are missing and are not measured in the implementation process, the technology will not effectively scale. Our team has outlined the clear process for assessment in a recent publication (Park et al., 2022).
In addition to research, the White House also highlighted the importance and need to create data standards. Again, this is an area that we have spent a tremendous amount of time thinking about. Through the past several years, our team has created an extensive database that applies to the full spectrum of DMH, not just mobile apps. To date, most frameworks focus exclusively on mobile apps. Therefore, we recognized the need to assess technology areas such as virtual reality and devices through a similarly rigorous process. In addition, since we often provide guidance to organizations on the appropriate DMH to deploy, we also assess aspects of the company to fully understand the sustainability of the product. We created the VXVY Evaluated Technology (VET) Database to help move the industry towards standards that can be applied across DMH.