Chatbot in mental health care

Abstract

In India, the prevalence of mental disorders is in increasing over the year, at the same time the mental healthcare professionals shortage also in the rising trend. Smart technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) play an important role in filling this Mental Health delivery gap. In this paper let us know about how the chatbot is one such technology used in mental healthcare delivery. Interestingly, chatbots are initially used mainly to deliver the mental health services such as psychotherapy, later is used in other industries also. The reviews show that Chatbots are widely used to manage anxiety, depression, stress and also to provide psychoeducation. However, it has its own limitation such as, it cannot think like a human with wisdom and empathy; and also the confidentiality of the data is very much serious concern. At the same time, these Chatbots will become an integral part of our lives in the coming years. And we need Chatbots that match our culture. In order, to benefit from this technological advancement, we should have a regulatory and assessment process in place.