150041 20251017144636.0 doi 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i17.2939 sideral 142192 ART-2024-142192 eng López del Hoyo, Yolanda Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-3797-4218 Mental health in the virtual world: Challenges and opportunities in the metaverse era 2024 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted Current rates of mental illness are worrisome. Mental illness mainly affects females and younger age groups. The use of the internet to deliver mental health care has been growing since 2020 and includes the implementation of novel mental health treatments using virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. A new three dimensional digital environment, known as the metaverse, has emerged as the next version of the Internet. Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality will create fully immersive, experiential, and interactive online environments in the metaverse. People will use a unique avatar to do anything they do in their “real” lives, including seeking and receiving mental health care. In this opinion review, we reflect on how the metaverse could reshape how we deliver mental health treatment, its opportunities, and its challenges. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/B17-23R info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII-RICAPPS/RD21-0016-0005 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by-nc https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Elices, Matilde Garcia-Campayo, Javier Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-1690-4130 4009 730 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Psicología y Sociología Área Psicología Básica 1007 745 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Medicina, Psiqu. y Derm. Area Psiquiatría 12, 17 (2024), 2939-2945 World j. clin. cases World Journal of Clinical Cases 2307-8960 413004 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150041/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2080122 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/150041/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:150041 articulos driver 2025-10-17-14:29:33 ARTICLE