One of the most damaging externalities from the recent pandemic has been the rise in mental health issues. Many psychiatric disorders have strong genetic components, and although the extent of the genetic influence for many conditions has been extensively tested by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) there remains much to be understood regarding the genetics of these health issues. Twin studies, for example, have found a relatively high rate of inheritance for depression and anxiety disorders. To better appreciate the role that genetics plays in these disorders, it is useful to understand the extent to which other factors also contribute to the condition. Other major contributing factors to mental disorders are the environment and psychological factors. These environmental and psychological concerns have been further exacerbated by the growth of social media and the requirement, especially for young adults and teenagers, to always be ‘on’. It is likely that the metaverse, in whatever form it ultimately takes will further exacerbate these conditions. On the other hand, social media and the metaverse can be tools to help those suffering from mental health conditions. Online therapists and bots can provide frontline care to those who can’t or won’t go to an in-person therapy session. AI can be employed to provide some forms of therapy in light of the growing demand for licensed therapists and the limited supply.Further, artificial intelligence can be employed to examine social media posts for signs of depression and suicidal tendencies and raise alarms when necessary. However, the use of these and other technologies also raises ethical, social, and legal issues (ELSI), relating to the licensing of therapists, long-distance therapists, data ownership, privacy, and access to data controlled by large corporations, among many other ELSI concerns.his special issue aims to both assess the extent to which these technologies can cause mental health problems as well as the extent to which they can be employed to help provide care and all the concomitant ethical, legal, and social concerns of both social media’s ability to help as well as to hurt.This research topic aims to be broad in its scope, looking for new research, editorials, reviews, and methodology papers that all look at the world of mental health care through the lens of social media and/or the metaverse. The themes covered include but are not limited to: • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in providing access to information regarding the genetic nature of mental disorders • The roles, if any, of the metaverse and/or social media in triggering underlying genetic predispositions to mental health disorders • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in creating useful online communities for those who suffer from mental health disorders that have strong genetic factors • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in allowing researchers to find pools of candidates for genetic and other testing for mental health conditions, and the ethical, legal, and social implications thereof. • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in providing mental health care • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in aggravating or mollifying mental health conditions • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in discovering/diagnosing mental health conditions within individuals • The differences amongst different demographics with regard to mental health and social media • Externalities associated with social media that can influence mental health disorders and their treatment • The roles of virtual reality in providing mental health care • Legal, Privacy, ethical, and/or social concerns associated with the treatment/diagnosing of mental health disorders via social media • The role of social media in studying and/or collecting data regarding mental health in the population • Discussions on how to use social media and the metaverse in ways to promote better mental health • The role of government in regulating social media and the metaverse in light of concerns regarding mental health • The role of social media in teaching the general public about mental health
One of the most damaging externalities from the recent pandemic has been the rise in mental health issues. Many psychiatric disorders have strong genetic components, and although the extent of the genetic influence for many conditions has been extensively tested by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) there remains much to be understood regarding the genetics of these health issues. Twin studies, for example, have found a relatively high rate of inheritance for depression and anxiety disorders. To better appreciate the role that genetics plays in these disorders, it is useful to understand the extent to which other factors also contribute to the condition. Other major contributing factors to mental disorders are the environment and psychological factors. These environmental and psychological concerns have been further exacerbated by the growth of social media and the requirement, especially for young adults and teenagers, to always be ‘on’. It is likely that the metaverse, in whatever form it ultimately takes will further exacerbate these conditions. On the other hand, social media and the metaverse can be tools to help those suffering from mental health conditions. Online therapists and bots can provide frontline care to those who can’t or won’t go to an in-person therapy session. AI can be employed to provide some forms of therapy in light of the growing demand for licensed therapists and the limited supply.Further, artificial intelligence can be employed to examine social media posts for signs of depression and suicidal tendencies and raise alarms when necessary. However, the use of these and other technologies also raises ethical, social, and legal issues (ELSI), relating to the licensing of therapists, long-distance therapists, data ownership, privacy, and access to data controlled by large corporations, among many other ELSI concerns.his special issue aims to both assess the extent to which these technologies can cause mental health problems as well as the extent to which they can be employed to help provide care and all the concomitant ethical, legal, and social concerns of both social media’s ability to help as well as to hurt.This research topic aims to be broad in its scope, looking for new research, editorials, reviews, and methodology papers that all look at the world of mental health care through the lens of social media and/or the metaverse. The themes covered include but are not limited to: • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in providing access to information regarding the genetic nature of mental disorders • The roles, if any, of the metaverse and/or social media in triggering underlying genetic predispositions to mental health disorders • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in creating useful online communities for those who suffer from mental health disorders that have strong genetic factors • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in allowing researchers to find pools of candidates for genetic and other testing for mental health conditions, and the ethical, legal, and social implications thereof. • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in providing mental health care • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in aggravating or mollifying mental health conditions • The roles of the metaverse and/or social media in discovering/diagnosing mental health conditions within individuals • The differences amongst different demographics with regard to mental health and social media • Externalities associated with social media that can influence mental health disorders and their treatment • The roles of virtual reality in providing mental health care • Legal, Privacy, ethical, and/or social concerns associated with the treatment/diagnosing of mental health disorders via social media • The role of social media in studying and/or collecting data regarding mental health in the population • Discussions on how to use social media and the metaverse in ways to promote better mental health • The role of government in regulating social media and the metaverse in light of concerns regarding mental health • The role of social media in teaching the general public about mental health