Digital innovation in mental health: mobile applications and telepsychology for the clinical monitoring of victims
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Natural disasters are critical events that have a significant impact on the mental health of affected individuals and communities. In recent years, the development of digital psychology has favored the incorporation of technological tools into clinical care, including mobile mental health applications as complementary resources for the clinical monitoring of populations affected by disasters. A systematic and exhaustive search of scientific literature was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and SciELO databases, recognized for their high impact in health and psychology. The search was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. From a clinical perspective, the evidence supports the use of mobile applications to monitor symptoms, anticipate relapses, and improve treatment adherence, especially in mental disorders. The integration of applications into post-disaster clinical follow-up requires regulatory frameworks, evidence-based quality criteria, training in telepsychology, and public policies to reduce the digital divide. It is concluded that future research should focus on implementation and evaluation studies in the local context to develop contextualized evidence to guide clinical and institutional decision-making.
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