Persuasive Technology for Mental Health: One Step Closer to (Mental Health Care) Equality?

The increasing trend of mental health issues, especially among younger people, is not a new phenomenon. World organizations, leaders, and decision-makers are recognizing its devastating effect, resulting in mental health well-being appearing in goal 3 of the 17 UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) [1]. Among mental health issues, stress, anxiety, and depression (SAD) seem to be on the forefront-reaching 74% for disabling stress [2], 28% for anxiety disorder [3], and 48% for depression [4], in some groups. What is more, between 76% and 85% of people in low- and middle-income countries receive no treatment for their disorder [5], whereas the treatment coverage for, for example, depression is only 33% in high-income countries [6]. Mental health issues have large, multifaceted effects on the patient, on their immediate surroundings (family or caretakers), and on the wider society [7]. Individuals face decreased quality of life, poor educational outcomes, lowered productivity and potential poverty, social problems, abuse vulnerabilities, and additional health problems. Caretakers face increased emotional and physical challenges as well as decreased household income and increased financial costs. Society faces the loss of several gross domestic product (GDP) percentage points and billions of dollars annually, alongside with exacerbating public health issues and corrosion of social cohesion. All these lead to an increasingly stronger positive reinforcement loop-SAD increasingly perpetuates SAD. Too often, mental health issues directly result in the worst possible outcome and loss of human life, as many countries struggle with a high suicide rate [8]. It has been recognized that the reasons for increasing SAD include a severe lack of mental health professionals and regulations [9] as well as unequal access to mental health care [10]. These factors make the field ripe for technological and other scientific therapy-based interventions, as individuals with mental health issues prefer therapies to medication [11].