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“It’s here – and it’s evolving quickly.” Maureen Abbott reflects on what it means to do the “next right thing” in digital mental health care and why collaborating across borders has never been more important.
I n March 2020, the world was in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of us were at home indefinitely, and my little ones desperately needed to be entertained. Then, Disney released Frozen 2 for home viewing. Suddenly, the never-ending chatter ceased, and everyone sat quietly and engaged for the entire one hour and 43-minute run time. It was a small miracle! And, at that time, we were taking wins where we could find them. As I watched the movie, in my zombie-like state from exhaustion, the song that most captured my attention was “The Next Right Thing.” After thinking that she was dealing with a tragedy, one of the main characters attempts to keep moving, avoid getting overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, and simply do the next right thing. Just do the next
Sometimes, one small step in the right direction is enough to get momentum going. This concept often got me through the intense period of the pandemic. In our increasingly complex world, this lesson of breaking down a difficult problem into the simplicity of doing the next right thing still echoes true. The bite-sized framing helps us advance on critical problems without feeling overwhelmed, while keeping the big picture in view. Today, as artificial intelligence (AI) moves onto the main stage in digital mental health care, we’re approaching our own complex moment that needs to be simplified. But how do we know what is the next right thing to do? As an e-mental health community, we must consider together what is the next right thing for the incredible opportunities and increasingly large challenges we are facing worldwide in digital mental health. The answer lies in collaborating across international borders — pooling our collective wisdom to learn from one another. The global successes and challenges we learn from each other will help us build the strongest tomorrow in digital mental health care.
right thing. Take a step, step again. It is all that I can do. The next right thing.
Maureen Abbott Director of Innovation, Mental Health Commission of Canada
Biography mentalhealthcommission. ca/board/directors/
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