As technology progresses, our mental and digital worlds become increasingly intertwined. Our devices extend our nervous systems through fibre-optic and wireless signals, connecting us with people and places we may never physically touch. There is a seeming paradox when we think about the effects of this new form of connection on mental health.

On one hand, digital technologies have given rise to new clinical and community-based approaches to detect, prevent and treat mental health concerns. Awareness of mental health is at an all-time high, largely due to people sharing their experiences and building communities through digital channels. Similarly, adoption of tele-health has skyrocketed in the past few years, as a response to COVID lockdowns, providing consumers with greater access and choice of mental health services, regardless of where they live.

On the other hand, there is a sense that these same technologies, designed to connect us, are at least partly responsible for a growing feeling of loneliness in individuals and the steep rise of polarisation in our social and political spheres. Despite increased awareness of mental health and the development of new digital therapeutics, rates of mental ill health and suicide continue to rise.

This paper is written at an inflection point in digital mental health research and practice. The science we are working on today is still in its nascent phases and we are only scratching the surface of what’s possible with mind-digital interfaces. New breakthroughs are being made every day that challenge what we know and question current paradigms. What we can provide is an overview of the evidence as it now stands, and our ideas on future directions.