MENTAL HEALTH IN THE DIGITAL AGE; CONTRIBUTIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF ONLINE PSYCHOTHERAPY IN THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The accelerated expansion of information and communication technologies has profoundly transformed contemporary lifestyles, including the field of mental health. Online psychotherapy emerges in this scenario as a relevant alternative to in-person care, raising debates about its effectiveness, ethics, and clinical viability. This article aims to analyze the practice of online psychological care, investigating its foundations, contributions, and challenges for the promotion of mental health in the contemporary context. This is an integrative literature review, qualitative in nature, with content analysis as a methodological procedure applied to a final corpus of 12 scientific productions selected through systematic searches in the SciELO, BVS, PePSIC, and CAPES Periodicals Portal databases. The results indicate that the remote modality presents comparable effectiveness to the in-person format for various clinical conditions, expands access to mental health services, and requires specific technical and ethical adaptations in professional practice. In conclusion, online psychotherapy represents a significant advancement in mental health care, provided it is practiced responsibly and within the existing regulatory framework.