Making mental health more accessible in light of COVID-19: Scalable digital health with digital navigators in low and middle-income countries.

Rodriguez-Villa, Elena; Naslund, John; Keshavan, Matcheri; Patel, Vikram; Torous, John

The rapid spread of COVID-19 and the devastating consequences to economies and healthcare systems around the world has highlighted the exigent need for accessible mental health support. Increasing use of mobile devices in Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) such as India offers novel opportunity to expand treatment options and reach underserved populations. Prior efforts have utilized technology to redistribute or supplement clinical care but measurable outcomes of this research are limited. In this paper, we explain the structural barriers that prevent access to care and build on prior research to demonstrate how technology can be utilized to offer treatment if it is aided by education and technical support.