Technological Advances in Psychiatric Treatments: A Focused Exploration of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Human Factors in Digital Therapeutics

Digital technology has dramatically altered many aspects of life, including the psychiatric field. The synthesis of telehealth (particularly expedited in response to COVID-19) and AI has led to a burgeoning interest in Digital Therapeutics. Digital Therapeutics, in this context, refers to technology-based health management solutions that can treat psychiatric disorders or support traditional therapeutic methods. This involves software-driven diagnostic and therapeutic methods such as mobile mental health aids, computerized behavioral therapy tools, and digital applications.

Specifically, the focus here is on the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) aspect of these solutions - how users (both patients and clinicians) interact with these digital systems, the user experience they offer, and how design and functionality can be refined to optimize therapeutic outcomes. These technologies, such as mobile mental health aids, computerized behavioral therapy tools, and digital applications are revolutionizing psychiatric treatment.

Despite the sector’s proliferation, evidence supporting this approach remains limited, even in established tools like EndeavorRx for ADHD, Freespira for anxiety and panic disorders, and NightWare for sleep disturbance due to nightmares. One way to address and develop a deeper understanding of how and when digital therapeutics should be used is focus on the interaction aspect of this technology, through well established fields of research: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and human factors. By situating research into digital therapeutics by considering these domains, we may better involve research expertise in medicine and technology to examine and optimize how users engage with these tools, and how design and function can be optimized for better therapeutic outcomes.

The aim of this article collection is to delve into the advantages, challenges, and future potential of HCI and human factors research in digital therapeutics for psychiatric treatments. We aim to provide a detailed account of specific digital therapeutic techniques, with an emphasis on HCI’s role in computerized behavioral therapy and digital applications. The collection will highlight recent HCI advancements and their impact on the delivery of digital therapeutics, the implementation challenges, and the evidence gaps that require further exploration. This collection aims to also highlight recent advances in the field, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of digital therapeutics in psychiatry, implementation of digital therapeutics and integration into clinical care and gaps in the evidence base that merit further study.

The scope of this Research Topic centers on HCI’s role in delivering digital therapeutics for psychiatric disorders. Key themes to be explored include, but are not limited to:

 • The efficacy of HCI in enhancing treatment outcomes
 • Challenges in integrating HCI-focused digital therapeutics into clinical practice
 • Ethical considerations
 • Perspectives from patients and clinicians
 • Human factors research
 • International regulatory approval of digital therapeutics for diagnosing and treating mental and behavioral health conditions
 • The rise of prescription digital therapeutics in behavioral health
 • Demonstrations of novel digital therapeutics tools and methods (as experimental studies or case studies)
 • Proofs of concept with evidence will be considered for inclusion as Theory papers (although it is very strongly encouraged that authors submit a manuscript summary ahead of time for evaluation)

We are interested in manuscripts that address HCI in the context of digital therapeutics, discussing benefits, limitations, and future potential. Authors should provide critical insights and novel perspectives to further enrich this burgeoning field of study, and ideally include recent advances in their discussion.

We welcome the following article types, and will evaluate each for scope and quality.

 Original research
 Systematic review
 Brief research report
 Methods
 Review
 Community case study
 Registered Report
 Study Protocol
 Mini Review
 Policy and Practice Reviews
 Policy Brief
 Perspective
 Clinical Trial
 Case Report
 Technology and Code

Keywords: Digital Therapeutics, Telehealth, VR therapeutics, Digital psychiatry, Evidence based practice

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.