AI and Digital Health Literacy in Psychiatry
摘要
Digital mental health technologies are increasingly embedded in routine psychiatric care, yet many patients, clinicians, and health systems lack the skills and confidence required to use these tools safely and effectively. Digital mental health literacy has emerged as an enabling capability, shaping whether digital innovations enhance or undermine access, equity, and quality of care. This review synthesizes existing frameworks and evaluates initiatives addressing digital mental health literacy among patient education initiatives aimed at promoting digital mental health literacy, with a focus on relevance to psychiatric practice.
Recent FindingsRecent work conceptualizes digital mental health literacy as a multidimensional construct encompassing functional, communicative, critical, and translational competencies. Studies consistently demonstrate that individuals with serious mental illness experience substantial gaps in foundational digital skills despite widespread device ownership, placing them at risk of digital exclusion as services increasingly digitize. Programmatic initiatives documented in the literature have shown improvements in digital skills, confidence, and readiness to engage with digital mental health resources. Implementation challenges however continue to persist, including variability in program scope, limited standardization of outcome measures, and insufficient integration into routine clinical workflows.
SummaryDigital mental health literacy is now a foundational prerequisite for equitable and effective digital psychiatric care. Integrating literacy-focused programs into mental health services may mitigate digital exclusion and support the adoption of digital tools. Future efforts should prioritize scalable, equity-oriented models and align digital mental health literacy initiatives with clinical practice, implementation science, and health system priorities.