Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Mental Health

Dear Colleagues,

Artificial Intelligence chatbots are emerging as valuable tools in mental healthcare, offering scalable and immediate support for patients between clinical visits. These systems can assist with screening for anxiety or depression, delivering evidence-based interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy exercises and monitoring patient-reported outcomes in real time. For clinicians, chatbots can help bridge gaps in care, reduce workload and provide early alerts for potential crises. However, their integration into practice requires careful consideration of ethical and clinical standards, including data security, patient consent and ensuring that automated responses complement—not replace—professional judgment. When implemented responsibly, Artificial Intelligence chatbots can enhance continuity of care and improve patient engagement in mental health management.

This Special Issue aims to explore the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence chatbots in the domain of mental healthcare, focusing on their potential to enhance accessibility, early intervention and patient engagement. It seeks to bring together interdisciplinary research and clinical insights that examine the design, implementation, and ethical considerations of Artificial Intelligence-driven conversational agents in mental health settings. In this context, it is critical to assess people’s attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence mental health chatbots with valid scales to ensure appropriate measurements and interventions. By highlighting both the opportunities and limitations of these technologies, the Issue will provide a critical platform for healthcare professionals, technologists and policymakers to assess how Artificial Intelligence chatbots can be responsibly integrated into mental health services to support diverse populations and improve outcomes.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Evaluation of chatbot interventions for anxiety, depression, etc.
• Comparative studies between chatbot-based and traditional therapies.
• Development and validation of scales to measure attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence chatbots for mental health support.
• Artificial Intelligence chatbots for mental and emotional health support.
• Integration of Artificial Intelligence chatbots into mental healthcare pathways.
• Ethical, legal, and privacy considerations regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence chatbots.
• Data protection and patient confidentiality.
• Informed consent and transparency in Artificial Intelligence interactions.
• Limitations and safeguards in high-risk mental health issues.
• Policy frameworks for safe deployment in healthcare systems.
• Educational and training implications for healthcare professionals.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Olympia Konstantakopoulou
Guest Editor

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