Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions
Mental health apps (MHAs) are increasingly popular in India due to rising mental health awareness and app accessibility. Despite their benefits, like mood tracking, sleep tools and virtual therapy, MHAs lack regulatory oversight. India's framework, including the Central Drugs Standard Control O...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BJPsych International |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056474024000205/type/journal_article |
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| author | M. I. Singh Sethi Rakesh C. Kumar Narayana Manjunatha Channaveerachari Naveen Kumar Suresh Bada Math |
| author_facet | M. I. Singh Sethi Rakesh C. Kumar Narayana Manjunatha Channaveerachari Naveen Kumar Suresh Bada Math |
| author_sort | M. I. Singh Sethi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mental health apps (MHAs) are increasingly popular in India due to rising mental health awareness and app accessibility. Despite their benefits, like mood tracking, sleep tools and virtual therapy, MHAs lack regulatory oversight. India's framework, including the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and Medical Device Rules 2017, does not cover standalone health apps, raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy. Establishing a centralised regulatory body with guidelines for MHAs is essential for user safety and efficacy. This paper examines the current regulatory landscape, compares international approaches and proposes a tiered regulatory framework to foster responsible innovation while safeguarding user interests in digital mental health services. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-026f3dc502524e07a66485ca13112d18 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2056-4740 2058-6264 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych International |
| spelling | doaj-art-026f3dc502524e07a66485ca13112d182025-01-30T12:42:54ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych International2056-47402058-62642025-02-01222510.1192/bji.2024.20Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directionsM. I. Singh Sethi0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1567-541XRakesh C. Kumar1Narayana Manjunatha2Channaveerachari Naveen Kumar3Suresh Bada Math4Senior Resident, Tele Medicine Centre, NIMHANS Digital Academy, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, IndiaAssistant Professor, Tele Medicine Centre, NIMHANS Digital Academy, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, IndiaAdditional Professor, Tele Medicine Centre, NIMHANS Digital Academy, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, IndiaHead of Community Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, IndiaHead of Forensic Psychiatry & Tele Medicine Centre, I/C NIMHANS Digital Academy, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India.Mental health apps (MHAs) are increasingly popular in India due to rising mental health awareness and app accessibility. Despite their benefits, like mood tracking, sleep tools and virtual therapy, MHAs lack regulatory oversight. India's framework, including the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and Medical Device Rules 2017, does not cover standalone health apps, raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy. Establishing a centralised regulatory body with guidelines for MHAs is essential for user safety and efficacy. This paper examines the current regulatory landscape, compares international approaches and proposes a tiered regulatory framework to foster responsible innovation while safeguarding user interests in digital mental health services.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056474024000205/type/journal_articleMental health apps (MHAs)regulatory frameworkdigital healthdata privacymobile health (mHealth) |
| spellingShingle | M. I. Singh Sethi Rakesh C. Kumar Narayana Manjunatha Channaveerachari Naveen Kumar Suresh Bada Math Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions BJPsych International Mental health apps (MHAs) regulatory framework digital health data privacy mobile health (mHealth) |
| title | Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions |
| title_full | Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions |
| title_fullStr | Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions |
| title_short | Mental health apps in India: regulatory landscape and future directions |
| title_sort | mental health apps in india regulatory landscape and future directions |
| topic | Mental health apps (MHAs) regulatory framework digital health data privacy mobile health (mHealth) |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056474024000205/type/journal_article |
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