Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The pervasive impact of mental illnesses extends beyond individual suffering, affecting families, communities, and societies at large. Prevention efforts are imperative to mitigate this burden, promoting well-being and resilience across diverse populations. A particularly vulnerable period is adolescence, which is associated with numerous mental health issues that are exacerbated by declining healthy behaviours as well as socioeconomic inequalities. But adolescence also presents an opportune moment for early intervention. However, recognising warning signs and providing timely support involves considerable hurdles, so innovative prevention measures are needed. Advancements in AI, particularly in emotion recognition, offer promise for early mental health intervention. Yet, current AI achievements fall short in addressing the mental healthcare gap. This vision paper seeks to outline future directions and recommendations for effective preventive approaches by integrating experts of the necessary multidisciplinary field to develop, evaluate and implement novel and promising prevention approaches. Therefore, representatives based in Europe from diverse fields such as clinical psychology, computer science, physical activity, nutrition, economics, entrepreneurship, politics, and digital innovation propose potential avenues to integrate efficient treatment, AI methodology, and comprehensive implementation strategies that align with user needs. Based on a literature review and expert consensus, key ingredients suggested for effective preventive measures for mental health include holistic, individualised, AI-based mHealth interventions, leveraging smart and passive data from digital biomarkers for monitoring and feedback, evaluating cost-effectiveness, conducting participatory research to ensure user acceptance, and identifying barriers and facilitators for integration into regular healthcare systems. By utilising AI-driven interventions for adolescents, we can address the urgent need for preventive mental healthcare, ultimately enhancing the well-being of future generations.
Source: Frontiers in Digital Health
Institutions: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit, MQ: Transforming Mental Health, European Regional and Local Health Authorities, University of Manchester, Universitat Jaume I, University of Freiburg, Freie Universität Berlin, The University of Sydney, University of Augsburg, University of Warsaw, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, University of Bamberg, Munich Center for Machine Learning, Imperial College London, Technical University of Munich
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,077
OpenAlex ID: W4415194673