The Convergence of Blockchain, NFTs, and Deepfake in Mental Health Therapy: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Digital mental health interventions increasingly require robust security frameworks, authenticated content delivery, and personalized therapeutic experiences. This systematic literature review examines the convergence of Blockchain technology, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and deepfake synthesis in mental health applications, addressing a critical gap in interdisciplinary research. Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted comprehensive searches across Scopus database (2014-2024), supplemented by IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and PubMed Central. Our methodology employed PICO framework-based queries, identifying 15 037 relevant studies across seven queries (Q) configurations (Q1-Q7), with 5093 studies meeting inclusion criteria after rigorous quality assessment. Results demonstrate Blockchain provides immutable data governance (3962 studies), NFTs enable secure therapeutic asset tokenization (771 studies), while deepfakes facilitate personalized avatar-based therapy (230 studies). Cross-technology integration remains limited: Blockchain-NFTs combinations (102 studies), Blockchain-Deepfake integrations (24 studies), NFTs-Deepfake applications (2 studies), with only 2 studies addressing all three technologies simultaneously. This review establishes the first comprehensive taxonomy of converged technologies in mental health, identifying critical research directions for scalable, secure, and ethically-compliant digital therapeutic platforms.