The Potential of Health Information Technologies to Transform Mental Health Care for Young People in Low-and Middle-Income Countries

People in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) are experiencing a scarcity of youth health professionals, community services, and infrastructure, as well as specific policies for mental health. With 80% of the population living in LMIC, and just 20% of the world’s mental health resources being invested in these countries, there is an urgent need to provide readily accessible and affordable care. When considering how to provide such care at scale, health information technologies (HIT) show promise in augmenting traditional face-to-face services. Despite the spread of such HITs in high-income countries, these HITs have slow uptake and implementation by LMIC. People living in these parts of the world are at risk of experiencing not only physical and social but also technological inequalities in health. One solution to bridge this gap is to make use of the already available, evidence-based, and successful HITs developed in other countries. This chapter proposes a methodology to adapt HITs beyond straight language and content translation into a more comprehensive framework that includes language, culture, and context in all the relevant aspects of the HITs design, development, or adaptation: content, functionality, user interface, and the technology platform.