Digital mental health services are becoming increasingly valuable for addressing the global public health burden of mental ill-health. There is significant demand for scalable and effective web-based mental health services. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve mental health through the deployment of chatbots. These chatbots can provide round-the-clock support and triage individuals who are reluctant to access traditional health care due to stigma. The aim of this viewpoint paper is to consider the feasibility of AI-powered platforms to support mental well-being. The Leora model is considered a model with the potential to provide mental health support. Leora is a conversational agent that uses AI to engage in conversations with users about their mental health and provide support for minimal-to-mild symptoms of anxiety and depression. The tool is designed to be accessible, personalized, and discreet, offering strategies for promoting well-being and acting as a web-based self-care coach. Across all AI-powered mental health services, there are several challenges in the ethical development and deployment of AI in mental health treatment, including trust and transparency, bias and health inequity, and the potential for negative consequences. To ensure the effective and ethical use of AI in mental health care, researchers must carefully consider these challenges and engage with key stakeholders to provide high-quality mental health support. Validation of the Leora platform through rigorous user testing will be the next step in ensuring the model is effective.

Australian providers of mental health services and support for young people include private and public allied health providers, government initiatives (eg, headspace), nongovernment organizations (eg, Kids Helpline), general practitioners (GPs), and the hospital system. Over 20 years of research has established that many young people prefer to seek mental health support online; however, clear client pathways within and between online and offline mental health services are currently lacking. The authors propose a Digital Mental Health Practice model of care for youth to assist with digital mental health service mapping. The proposed model offers accessible pathways for a client to engage with digital mental health services, provides clear navigation to access support for individual needs, and facilitates a seamless connection with offline mental health services using a transferable electronic health records system. This future-looking model also includes emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the metaverse, which must be accounted for as potential tools to be leveraged for digital therapies and support systems. The urgent need for a user-centered Digital Mental Health Practice model of care for youth in Australia is discussed, highlighting the shortcomings of traditional and existing online triage models evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the complex challenges that must be overcome, such as the integration of diverse mental health care providers and establishment of a robust electronic health records system. Potential benefits of such a model include reduced pressure on emergency rooms, improved identification of immediate needs, enhanced referral practices, and the establishment of a cost-efficient national digital mental health care model with global applicability. The authors conclude by stressing the consequences of inaction, warning that delays may lead to more complex challenges as new technologies emerge and exacerbate the long-term negative consequences of poor mental health management on the economic and biopsychosocial well-being of young Australians.

Social media and health research have covered the benefits for the public and patients as users. Specifically, this has focused on searching for health information, connecting with others experiencing similar health issues, and communicating with their health professionals. Recently, there has been a shift in research to focus on health care professionals as users as they participate in professional development, improve communication with patients, and contribute to health research and service. However, such research has predominantly focused on text-based platforms, namely Facebook and Twitter. The scope of this article is a systematic review of publications on health care professionals' use of the image-based platform Instagram, according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. This study, drawing from 51 articles, shows how health care professionals use Instagram, and reveals that these professionals utilize the platform to address health concerns that may not necessarily align with their specific expertise. Images were the common format of posts created by health care professionals, with six content types identified: (a) educational, (b) promotional, (c) patient experience, (d) personal, (e) emotion based, and (f) other. Three measures of post engagement were used by researchers, including (a) likes and comments, (b) use of hashtags, and (c) number of followers. This study also identified the dangers of misleading users, including (a) lack of credentials reported, (b) edited images, (c) quality of content, and (d) patient and client confidentiality issues. In conclusion, insights into the advantages of health care professionals' use of Instagram and ways in which they can maximize its use to reach and engage with their target audience are provided.

Background: It has often been reported that young people are at high risk of mental health concerns, more so than at any other time in development over their life span. The situational factors that young people report as impacting their well-being are not addressed as often: specifically, family discord. Kids Helpline, a national service in Australia that provides free counseling online and by telephone to young people in distress, report that family discord and well-being issues are one of the major concerns reported by clients. In order to meet the preferences that young people seek when accessing counseling support, Kids Helpline has designed and trialed a custom-built social network platform for group counseling of young people experiencing family discord that impacts their well-being. Objective: In this exploratory study, we communicate the findings of Phase 1 of an innovative study in user and online counselor experience. This will lead to an iterative design for a world-first, purpose-built social network that will do the following: (1) increase reach and quality of service by utilizing a digital tool of preference for youth to receive peer-to-peer and counselor-to-peer support in a safe online environment and (2) provide the evidence base to document the best practice for online group counseling in a social network environment. Methods: The study utilized a participatory action research design. Young people aged 13-25 years (N=105) with mild-to-moderate depression or anxiety (not high risk) who contacted Kids Helpline were asked if they would like to trial the social networking site (SNS) for peer-to-peer and counselor-to-peer group support. Subjects were grouped into age cohorts of no more than one year above or below their reported age and assigned to groups of no more than 36 participants, in order to create a community of familiarity around age and problems experienced. Each group entered into an 8-week group counseling support program guided by counselors making regular posts and providing topic-specific content for psychoeducation and discussion. Counselors provided a weekly log of events to researchers; at 2-week intervals, subjects provided qualitative and quantitative feedback through open-ended questions and specific psychometric measures. Results: Qualitative results provided evidence of user support and benefits of the online group counseling environment. Counselors also reported benefits of the modality of therapy delivery. Psychometric scales did not report significance in changes of mood or affect. Counselors and users suggested improvements to the platform to increase user engagement. Conclusions: Phase 1 provided proof of concept for this mode of online counseling delivery. Users and counselors saw value in the model and innovation of the service. Phase 2 will address platform issues with changes to a new social network platform. Phase 2 will focus more broadly on mental health concerns raised by users and permit inclusion of a clinical population of young people experiencing depression and anxiety. Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12616000518460; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=370381

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) have become the leading cause of premature death and disability in the Pacific region, with the development of health literacy an important factor for the prevention and control of NCD. Health literacy is an important lifelong asset that can be developed in adolescents through engagement in schooling and curriculum. The aim of this study was to explore Ni-Van adolescents' health literacy knowledge and capabilities regarding food and nutrition, climate change and digital technology solutions. Two Ni-Van schools participated in the study (one urban (School A) and one rural school (School B)), with 44 students (68% female) comprising 14 small groups participating in one workshop and booklet activities in April 2023. The 14 workshop booklet responses were deductively analysed using Nutbeam’s health literacy hierarchy. School A’s booklet responses showed that interactive health literacy responses were dominant (54%), followed by functional (34%) and critical learning activities (12%), whereas School B’s responses showed that functional health literacy responses were dominant (65%), followed by interactive (28%) and critical (5%). The findings show that students in both schools were less likely to engage in critical, compared with functional and interactive health literacy levels. This is an important consideration for future workshops, as well as curriculum and teacher training in Vanuatu, as Vanuatu (and other PICTs) are more susceptible to the effects of climate change and food sustainability issues.. Without a focus on developing critical health literacy knowledge and capabilities throughout the schooling years, this is a missed opportunity to create enabling environments that reduce youth exposures to NCD risk factors.