
COVID-19 will have longterm effects on mental health. This expert explains how to limit the damage
The shared psychological damage of social distancing and COVID-19 related anxiety may not be so quick to heal.
Mental and behavioral health disorders impose a significant and under-recognized burden on the global healthcare system, affecting social needs, basic human rights and the economy. And with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, digital technologies provide an opportunity to create breakthrough solutions that improve mental health and well-being outcomes on a greater scale than ever before. Governments, insurance organizations, and employers are eager to take advantage of digital technologies, but the huge variety of available solutions and dearth of standards has created a new problem – where does one begin when there are so many options? How can one ensure the disruptive technologies they are using are clinically validated, ethical, and efficacious?
These questions provided a need and an opportunity for an impact-driven partnership between the World Economic Forum and Deloitte, focused on creating a policy framework, the Global Governance Toolkit for Digital Mental Health. Created with input from Deloitte, the Global Future Council on Mental Health, interviews with nearly 200 innovators creating digital mental health solutions, and lessons from a pilot project with the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the toolkit aims to guide leaders towards crafting successful policies on technology and mental health, and articulates an ethical framework to assist innovators in working with their consumers to solve moral dilemmas.
In the next phase of the project, the World Economic Forum and Deloitte will:
For more information or to get involved, please reach out to cameron.fox@weforum.org.