Technological Innovations That Can Improve Mental Health

With the digital transformation ongoing in the health sector, health facilities and professionals can better monitor patients’ health and thus enhance service delivery. For example, a previous post illustrates how the tabletop smart mirror by NuraLogix can be used to measure vital signs and assess disease risks through facial analysis. Known as the Anura MagicMirror, the innovation leverages the company’s proprietary Transdermal Optical Imaging (TOI) technology to conduct a 30-second facial scan, extract blood flow information, and accurately provide physical vitals and health indexes.
 
Beyond the smart mirror, there are other technological innovations geared towards monitoring and improving mental health, in particular. Digital devices and tools, for instance, allow patients to improve their understanding of their symptoms and seek better care from professionals. Everand’s library of self-help audiobooks can help users suffering from mental health issues access resources on wellness and mindfulness, which have been proven to help with managing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Titles from professionals like clinical psychologists Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson and Dr. Nicole LePera allow listeners to make use of protocols and strategies to address issues like trauma, stress, and self-sabotaging behaviors.
 
There is also a wider range of tools approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help patients get the care they need. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five (22.8%) adults in the United States experience mental illness every year, but only less than half (47.2%) receive appropriate care and treatment. As such, the innovations discussed below can help expand access to quality care and resources and ultimately improve mental health outcomes among populations.

App-Based Digital Treatment

Although there are thousands of digital apps available for the treatment of mental health, very few get FDA approval. Rejoyn is the first digital prescription treatment for major depressive disorder cleared by the FDA. Developed by Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Click Therapeutics, the app makes use of a six-week program that combines cognitive-emotional training and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) alongside antidepressant medications.

Rejoyn’s neuromodulatory mechanism delivers brain-training exercises to users over the course of the program, including exercises comparing emotions displayed on a series of faces. These exercises help stimulate the amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and have antidepressant effects. While trials have found that Rejoyn does not have statistically significant benefits, the risks of using the app are minimal and could have a beneficial effect on patients currently struggling with depression and anxiety symptoms. 

Artificial Intelligence-Powered Tools

As more and more industries tap into artificial intelligence for productivity and efficiency, mental health providers are leveraging AI-powered tools for accessible and personalized care. In January 2024, the FDA approved the first AI and ML-enabled assessment tool for depression and anxiety, Deliberate AI’s AI-COA, under its Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs (ISTAND) pilot program. The program will allow Deliberate AI to receive support to become a qualified drug development tool (DDT).

AI-COA uses machine learning and multimodal behavioral signal processing to create a bias-free mental health assessment method. Deliberate AI is also refining AI-COA for use in clinical and psychotherapy sessions to enable more precise diagnoses and triage and replace patient surveys with passive background monitoring. While the use of AI in mental health assessment and treatment is still in its nascent stages, this marks a positive shift in making the monitoring of depression and anxiety more accurate and accessible to patients and clinicians.

Virtual Reality Therapy

Like AI, virtual reality (VR) is another emerging technology being increasingly adopted for more immersive experiences. While many are familiar with VR being integrated into gaming platforms, researchers note that VR technologies like headsets can serve as innovative approaches to addressing the mental health crisis.
 
The FDA has granted breakthrough device designations for several companies working on VR and mental health management. This includes British startup OxfordVR, which uses virtual reality headsets and CBT to help patients manage schizophrenia and other serious mental health issues. Clinical reviews of OxfordVR’s treatment system found that it was effective in helping patients with severe agoraphobia manage their symptoms, underscoring the potential of virtual reality in managing mental illnesses and improving patients’ quality of life.
 
Ultimately, these innovations can help improve mental health but must not be seen as replacements for professional care services like therapy, consultation, and medication.

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Charlotte Jennings is a software developer with a keen interest in everything health tech-related. Keeping up with trends is her hobby and writing about innovative solutions is her forte.