Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28433615›Full record

ReviewThe lancet. Psychiatry2017

Digital technology for treating and preventing mental disorders in low-income and middle-income countries: a narrative review of the literature.

John A Naslund, Kelly A Aschbrenner, Ricardo Araya, Lisa A Marsch, Jürgen Unützer, Vikram Patel, Stephen J Bartels

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in The lancet. Psychiatry, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 317 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
317citing papers in PubMed, 14 pooled it
20.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

317 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 610 citations in OpenAlex.

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257 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

John A NaslundThe Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA; Health Promotion Research Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA; Center for Technology and Behavioral Health, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA. Electronic address: john.a.naslund@gmail.com.
Kelly A AschbrennerHealth Promotion Research Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Ricardo ArayaCentre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Lisa A MarschCenter for Technology and Behavioral Health, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Jürgen UnützerDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Vikram PatelCentre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Sangath, Goa, India; Center for Chronic Conditions and Injuries, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India.
Stephen J BartelsThe Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA; Health Promotion Research Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA.
Dartmouth College · USDartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice · USLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBUniversity of Washington · US

Funding

Treatment Development & Evaluation CoreP30DA029926 · NIDA · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI Lisa A. Marsch · 2011 to 2026
$21.5M
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research CenterU48DP005018 · DP · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI ADACHI-MEJIA, ANNA MARIA · 2014 to 2018
$5.6M
Scaling up Science-based Mental Health Interventions in Latin AmericaU19MH109988 · NIMH · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI MARSCH, LISA A. · 2016 to 2020
$3.5M
Self-Management Training and Automated Telehealth to Improve SMI Health OutcomesR01MH104555 · NIMH · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI BARTELS, STEPHEN J · 2014 to 2018
$3.0M
ACL HHS U48DP005018NCCDPHP CDC HHS U48 DP005018NIDA NIH HHS P30 DA029926NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH104555NIMH NIH HHS U19 MH109988
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Few individuals living with mental disorders around the globe have access to mental health care, yet most have access to a mobile phone. Digital technology holds promise for improving access to, and quality of, mental health care. We reviewed evidence on the use of mobile, online, and other remote technologies for treatment and prevention of mental disorders in low-income and middle-income countries. Of the 49 studies identified, most were preliminary evaluations of feasibility and acceptability. The findings were promising, showing the potential effectiveness of online, text-messaging, and telephone support interventions. We summarised the evaluations as: technology for supporting clinical care and educating health workers, mobile tools for facilitating diagnosis and detection of mental disorders, technologies for promoting treatment adherence and supporting recovery, online self-help programmes for individuals with mental disorders, and programmes for substance misuse prevention and treatment. Continued research is needed to rigorously evaluate effectiveness, assess costs, and carefully consider potential risks of digital technology interventions for mental disorders, while determining how emerging technologies might support the scale-up of mental health treatment and prevention efforts across low-resource settings.

Indexed as

Cell PhoneCommunity Health WorkersDelivery of Health CareDeveloping CountriesFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansIncomeMaleMental DisordersPovertyText Messaging

Identifiers

PMID28433615
PMCPMC5523650
OpenAlexW2606858293

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.