Ethics in Digital Mental Health
A webinar by the EPA Committee on Ethics
For European Depression Day, the EPA is pleased to announce the webinar “Ethics in Digital Mental Health”, taking place on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, from 16:30 to 18:00 CET. This webinar is organised by the EPA Committee on Ethics.
details
Title: Ethics in Digital Mental Health
Date: Wednesday 10 December 2025
Time: 16:30 – 18:00 CET
Platform: Zoom
Registrations: Open
KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This webinar will enable the attendees to understand how digital technologies are reshaping psychiatric practice and the clinician–patient relationship, recognise key ethical, professional, and regulatory considerations in virtual therapeutic environments, and appreciate the importance of maintaining trust, privacy, and accountability in digital mental health care.
Programme
16:30 – 16:35 | Meryam Schouler Ocak – Welcome and Introduction
16:35 – 16:40 | Mariana Pinto da Costa– Context and Introduction of Speakers
16:40 – 17:00 | Inez Myin Germeys – Ethics and Digitalising Mental Health Care
17:00 – 17:20 | Thomas KJ Craig – AVATAR Therapy for Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in People with Psychosis: A New Treatment Method
17:20 – 17:50 | Q&A and Discussion
17:50 – 18:00 | Meryam Schouler Ocak & Mariana Pinto da Costa – Wrap-up and conclusions
ABSTRACT
Digital mental health is particularly timely subject given the rapid expansion of digital technologies in mental health care, such as telepsychiatry, mental health apps, AI-driven diagnostics, and digital mental health interventions. Addressing the ethical considerations surrounding privacy, consent, and equitable access in these areas could be valuable for the EPA community.
The enthusiasm for digital psychiatry is undeniable, as is the need for something truly new that will make a tangible difference to public mental health.
Moderators
- Meryam Schouler- Ocak, Department of Psychiatry and Psychoterapy (CCM) Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Psychiatric University Clinic of Charité at St. Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, Germany – Biography
- Mariana Pinto da Costa, Member of the EPA Committee on Ethics, Chair of the EPA Public Mental Health Section. Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK; and Invited Professor at School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto, Portugal – Biography
Speakers
- Prof. Inez Myin Germeys, Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium – Biography
- Prof. Thomas KJ Craig, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London; South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK – Biography