AI Chatbots and Human Assistants for Mental Health
A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editor
Interests: mental health care; suicide prevention; digital mental health; men; athletes; young people
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and conversational agents has created new frontiers in digital mental health care. AI chatbots and human-assistive platforms are increasingly being deployed to support individuals facing mental health challenges, particularly those who are neurodivergent, trauma-affected, or experiencing long wait times for professional care. This Special Issue seeks to explore the design, implementation, and real-world impact of AI-driven mental health companions, including therabots and augmented emotional intelligence (AEI) systems. We are especially interested in research and case studies that address the needs of neurodivergent individuals, trauma survivors, scam victims, and underserved populations such as middle-aged men. We invite submissions that move beyond prototypes to demonstrate scalable, ethical, and effective solutions, as well as critical analyses of the opportunities and challenges in this rapidly advancing field.
Scope and Example Topics
This Special Issue welcomes original research, reviews, case studies, and technical reports on topics including, but not limited to:
- Development and evaluation of therabots for mental health support;
- Augmented emotional intelligence (AEI) platforms for neurodivergent and trauma-affected individuals;
- AI companions for self-management during extended wait times for mental health services;
- Ethical, privacy, and safety considerations in AI chatbot deployment;
- Scalable and sustainable solutions for digital mental health care;
- Case studies of AI chatbots supporting scam victims, young adults, and middle-aged men;
- Integration of emoji-based emotional language systems;
- Human–AI co-regulation and affective computing in mental health;
- Comparative studies of commercial LLMs and specialized AEI systems;
- User-centered and lived-experience-driven design in digital mental health.
Recommendations for Authors
We particularly encourage submissions that address the following areas:
- Innovative approaches to reducing mental health wait times using AI chatbots;
- Therabots and AEI tools tailored to young people, neurodivergent individuals, and trauma survivors;
- Longitudinal studies on the impact of AI companions during periods without access to human clinicians;
- Ethical frameworks and best practices for safeguarding vulnerable users;
- Technical advances enabling scalable, privacy-preserving, and bias-mitigated chatbot deployment;
- Real-world implementation and user feedback from diverse populations.
This Special Issue aims to advance the science and practice of AI-driven mental health support, with a focus on inclusivity, safety, and real-world impact. We look forward to receiving high-quality submissions from researchers, clinicians, technologists, and lived-experience experts.
Dr. Luke Balcombe
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- AI chatbots
- therabots
- augmented emotional intelligence
- neurodivergence
- trauma-informed care
- digital mental health
- human–AI co-regulation
- scalable solutions
- ethical AI
- assistive technology
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