Digital Technologies and Mental Health

Background and Aim:Information technologies, apart from information and communication facilities and services, can haveconstructive effects on people's mental health and social functions. For example, research resultsindicate the positive effect of the Internet on increasing social support by facilitating communicationwith friends or forming new relationships.The Internet creates a space for social interaction where the anonymity and lack of face-to-facecommunication on the Internet can provide a haven to compensate for the lack of social interactions inreal life. Social networks provide an opportunity for self-expression, identification, establishingfriendship and emotional relationships, and ideological orientation, and by providing a space for wellbeingand social support, it reduces the symptoms of depression.Treatment using Virtual Reality is another application of digital technology in the field of mentalhealth. Virtual reality places people in an imaginative and stimulating environment. In this method, thetherapist has complete control over what the patient sees and hears, so the use of virtual realitytechnology in improving mental health has been reported to be effective in diagnosing and treatingmental health problems.One of the applications of this method is known in the treatment of anxiety disorders and the treatmentof some forms of phobia. For example, the patient is exposed to an object (spider, dirty toilet, etc.) orsituation (height, flight, etc.) in a controlled and safe environment. At the same time, the therapist canobserve the emotional and physical reactions of the patient. Once the patient feels comfortable invirtual reality situations, they can move on to the next stage of treatment, real-world situations.Methods: Electronic Search was conducted in Persian and English databases. The search was doneIran Medex, SID, ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct with the followingkeywords and associated articles selected.Results:Continuous communication by Internet leads to a reduction in depression among those who had poorsocial resources, and communication with strangers and unknown people can compensate for thisdeficiency for people who did not have rich social resources. The use of technology in improvingmental health in the form of virtual reality can be effective for the treatment of anxiety disorders andand phobia.Conclusion: Virtual Relationships and Virtual Reality can be constructive, informative, and low-riskand provide the ground for convergence, commitment, establishing close relationships, and effective treatment.

Digital Technologies and Mental Health Keywords:

Digital Technologies , Mental Health , Virtual Reality