The Promise of Digital Health Interventions for Addressing Loneliness in Serious Mental Illness

Purpose of review People living with serious mental illness (SMI) experience high rates of loneliness, though few evidence-based psychosocial treatments directly target this experience. Mobile and web-based digital health interventions offer unique opportunities to translate psychosocial treatments to address loneliness in daily life. Recent findings In this paper, we review the common types of psychosocial treatments aimed at addressing loneliness in the general population (social skills training, social prescribing, and cognitive-based therapies), their efficacy, and their ability to address the specific concerns of those living with SMI. We highlight three recent cognitive-based digital interventions (Nod, Connect + , and Horyzons) that show promise for addressing loneliness in people with SMI. Summary We argue for the adaptation of cognitive therapeutic approaches for addressing loneliness and discuss future innovations that can capitalize on the promise of mobile technologies for addressing loneliness in SMI. Furthermore, we discuss how these digital innovations will allow us to create more individualized therapies.