The increasing burden of mental health problems requires collaborative efforts to better understand their development, identify opportunities for prevention and optimise support. A particular area of concern is the observed inequalities in access to and outcomes from mental healthcare.

Data science has potential to inform clinical decision-making, personalised treatments, and health policy. Furthermore, data literacy empowers individuals to make informed decisions in an increasingly data-orientated world. Our theme therefore seeks to increase knowledge in mental health data science and promote data literacy among researchers, clinicians, the public and experts by experience.

Our first aim is to raise awareness about the importance of data science in advancing mental health equity through knowledge exchange. We will bring together experts by experience, clinicians, academics, policymakers, and other stakeholders who are involved or interested in using data science for mental health equity. We will facilitate discussions about how data science can be used to inform clinical practice, disseminating successful case studies along with practical insights for research and policy making.

Our second aim is capacity building for clinicians and the public. Data literacy and data analytics skills are crucial for uncovering disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, especially by clinicians and experts by experience, who are best placed to affect change using their own data, and data they collect as part of delivering care. While clinical training equips healthcare professionals with essential medical knowledge, there is often a gap in practical data science training. For the public, it is important that research is guided by and directly serves the communities contributing their data. However, for many people, the perceived complexity of data science can be daunting and act as a barrier to engagement with mental health research and potential discovery. We therefore intend to work together with clinicians, and patient and public members to discuss perceived barriers to involvement in data science initiatives, and co-develop training resources to meet their needs.

Curious? Join our theme to get involved and find like-minded collaborators and peers. To find out more about our planned activities join our slack channel – now online and accessible to everyone via our Slack Workspace.