Advances in Generative Artificial Intelligence for Mental Health

According to the World Mental Health Report 2022 published by the WHO, mental health care is under unprecedented pressure. However, the shortage of mental health providers is expected to continue globally, highlighting the urgent need to reform mental health care. Over the past few years, a growing number of studies confirm that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can be of great benefit to the field of mental health, offering a range of contributions that can transform the way mental health issues are addressed. The recent rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI), which has the ability to innovate and create rather than just analyze and predict, marks an important turning point in the field of AI technology. The intersection of GAI and mental health has increasingly become an emerging and fast-growing field with great potential to transform diagnosis, treatment, and overall care.

This Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge research exploring the opportunities and challenges of applying GAI to mental health (e.g., personalized therapeutic interventions and the development of advanced tools for mental health diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment), with a particular focus on empirical studies evaluating its efficacy, reliability, and ethical implications. We also encourage submissions that examine the interdisciplinary aspects of GAI in mental health, such as integration with clinical practice, fit with psychological theories, and implications for mental health policies.

This article collection welcomes all article types accepted by Frontiers in Digital Health that address (but are not limited to) the following topics:
 Generative models in mental health diagnostics
 Therapeutic applications of GAI
 Data-driven mental health predictions and interventions
 Ethical and societal implications
 Multimodal approaches
 Personalized mental health solutions

Keywords: digital mental health, generative artificial intelligence, challenges, opportunities, implementation

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.