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SODP and JMIR Mental Health Announce Two New Harmonization and Data Standard Efforts.
As the use of digital data from smartphones, fitness trackers, and other wearable devices (e.g., rings) expands, the digital mental health space faces a dilemma: how can we unify all this data so that larger, decentralized studies can collect consistent outcomes regardless of the hardware and software each person uses to share it? For example, a “step” recorded by an iPhone should ideally be equivalent to one from an Android device, Fitbit, Oura Ring, or Whoop band.
Currently, there is no easy way to compare data across devices, and the need for harmonization is clear. While many technical approaches exist, SODP + JMIR Mental Health will begin by surveying members to determine which approaches are most appealing, feasible, and promising. Members can expect a set of surveys and instructions soon, and all participants will be acknowledged in any resulting papers or standards.
💻 SODP and JMIR Mental Health to Host the Next Generation of Digital Navigator Training
A Digital Navigator is a trained individual who helps patients, clinicians, and health systems effectively use digital mental health tools, especially mobile apps, for care and self-management. The role serves as a bridge between technology and mental health services, ensuring that digital tools are accessible, usable, and aligned with clinical goals. To expand access to the role, SODP is working with JMIR Mental Health to create a robust educational program that will offer expert training and certification for members.
📈 Trends in Digital Mental Health Do Self-Help Apps Have a Future?
A new paper in JMIR Mental Health reported that when New Zealand made a self-guided CBT-related intervention accessible to all youth in the country from 2014 to 2021, even without a prescription or referral, only about 2% of youth ever tried it [1]. Of those 2% who tried it, only ~3% completed all seven modules, which means ~407 youth across all of New Zealand got a ‘full dose’ of the program over 7 years. It is possible that many young people did not require a full dose to experience benefit, or that the 407 youth who were completers were the exact ones who needed this assistance. However, it is also possible that, as a field, we must acknowledge that self-help interventions face significant challenges. These low engagement numbers are not new and align with a now-famous study that reported single-digit engagement in 2019 [2].
Since 2019, we have seen efforts at gamification, just-in-time adaptive interventions, and design all make some progress, but not transform engagement outcomes with self-guided digital mental health software. Of course, the question now in mid-2025 is whether AI will be able to bend the curve and offer a new solution. If AI could solve aspects of engagement, then there is a plethora of evidence-based self-guided apps (and computer programs) waiting for a return. AI does not need to be the therapist to improve mental outcomes; it just needs to help people stick with it. A new generation of studies should report out on whether AI can transform engagement, but as of today, we do not know.
In every issue of the SODP Newsletter, our Editor-In-Chief, Dr. John Torous, dives deep into your most pressing questions about digital mental health.
This Edition's Question
Question: What is the FDA using AI for in the review process?
Answer: We are still learning, but reports in June 2025 from both the FDA and reporters suggest several efforts, including 1) Elsa: Their internally developed, secure LLM for summarization and review, 2) BERTox / askFDALabel: FDA-created specialized LLM tools using GPT, LLaMA, etc., for document analysis and adverse event detection, and 3) cderGPT, a pilot initiative with OpenAI for FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) support. While there is much to be learned about all of these efforts, the fact that they are happening at all is a clear signal that AI will continue to gain wider roles in healthcare innovation.
Do you have a question you want answered in the next newsletter? Let us know here.
📖 Book Spotlight
Expand your reading list! In each newsletter, we'll share a must-read book from within our community or a fascinating discovery.
Daniel Oberhaus published The Silicon Shrink: How Artificial Intelligence Made the World an Asylum (MIT Press, 2025), a well-researched and well-written book that explores how AI systems can bring benefits— but also introduce new risks. As a technology reporter and MIT Press author, Oberhaus offers important insights into the ongoing transformation of the field.
👍 Survey Spotlight
SODP speaker Eric Achtyes, MD, MS, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, is conducting a research study to explore physicians’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence.
The survey takes just 10–12 minutes to complete and is likely to become one of the seminal papers on the topic. You can find the consent form and surveyhere.
The eMental Health International Collaborative (eMHIC) will be in Toronto, November 19-21. While still some time out, this is an excellent meeting to attend and brings together a strong research, industry, and government group of attendees.
Want to list your event with us? Just reach out and let us know the details to share.
🌐 Upcoming Webinar Spotlight
Join JMIR Mental Health and the Society of Digital Psychiatry on Monday, June 30 at 3 PM EST for a webinar on the evolving role of digital tools in psychiatry. Dr. Eric Achtyes and Dr. John Torous will explore how apps and AI are reshaping care—and what clinicians need to know.
Get your brand in front of highly engaged clinicians—consider advertising with SODP. In addition to our membership journal newsletter, we offer a society website and access to more than 32,000 online professionals.
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