Depression — Can Mental Health Chatbots Help Chronic Disease Populations?
Citation(s)
Clarke DM, Currie KC Depression, anxiety and their relationship with chronic diseases: a review of the epidemiology, risk and treatment evidence. Med J Aust. 2009 Apr 6;190(S7):S54-60.
Fitzpatrick KK, Darcy A, Vierhile M Delivering Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Young Adults With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent (Woebot): A Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2017 Jun 6;4(2):e19. doi: 10.2196/mental.7785.
Fulmer R, Joerin A, Gentile B, Lakerink L, Rauws M Using Psychological Artificial Intelligence (Tess) to Relieve Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2018 Dec 13;5(4):e64. doi: 10.2196/mental.9782.
Inkster B, Sarda S, Subramanian V An Empathy-Driven, Conversational Artificial Intelligence Agent (Wysa) for Digital Mental Well-Being: Real-World Data Evaluation Mixed-Methods Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018 Nov 23;6(11):e12106. doi: 10.2196/12106.
Ly KH, Ly AM, Andersson G A fully automated conversational agent for promoting mental well-being: A pilot RCT using mixed methods. Internet Interv. 2017 Oct 10;10:39-46. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2017.10.002. eCollection 2017 Dec.
Evaluating the Usefulness of an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Mental Health Chatbot in a Healthcare Setting
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
