FbT Journal Club - October 2020

It is estimated that one in four people in the world will experience mental illness at some point in their lives. Depression and anxiety are the most common mental disorders in the community. Over the years, there have been significant strides in developing digital technologies to improve the delivery of mental health services. Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT), and Virtual Clinics (VC) are some of the notable solutions (Christensen & Hickie, 2010). The growth and popularity of these solutions over the years have largely been driven by the demands from the community or grassroot groups rather than the professional sectors. Till this date, health consumers (especially young people) are more aware of their mental well-being than ever before, which has raised challenges for mental health professionals to adopt necessary reforms to keep up with the pace of change. While changes in the sector are slow, this may open new opportunities for specific areas of health informatics.