Using Technology to Enhance Access to Youth Mental Healthcare

Mental health—including psychological, emotional and social well-being—is a vital part of our overall health. This is especially true for children when we consider that for many adults with mental disorders, symptoms were present, but often not recognized or addressed, in childhood or adolescence. Early treatment can help prevent persistent and more severe problems later in life. This session will present data from the East Carolina University’s (ECU) Center for Telepsychiatry that serves children and adolescents using an approach that integrates primary and specialty care. Using pediatric clinics as the host sites helps remove the stigma associated with mental health, enhances compliance with appointments, and offers expert consultation support for busy and often overwhelmed pediatricians. Using virtual reality, the program has also created “NC Rural Kids Get Well,” a 3-D community on the Roblox platform to serve three main purposes: education, peer support and surveillance. The program features an artificial intelligence-driven knowledge management online portal to enhance collaborations among different sites’ healthcare providers; encourage family members’ engagement in children’s mental healthcare; discover innovative and customized mental health service approaches for rural children; and disseminate timely and relevant mental health knowledge to healthcare professionals, family members and local community partners.