Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. People with chronic diseases tend to experience more mental health issues than their peers without these health conditions. Mental health chatbots offer a potential source of mental health support for people with chronic diseases.
The aim of this study was to determine whether a mental health chatbot can improve mental health in people with chronic diseases. We focused on 2 chronic diseases in particular: arthritis and diabetes. Individuals with arthritis or diabetes were recruited using various web-based methods.
Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. Those in the treatment group used a mental health chatbot app Wysa [Wysa Inc] over a period of 4 weeks. Those in the control group received no intervention. Participants completed measures of depression Patient Health Questionnaire—9 , anxiety Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale—7 , and stress Perceived Stress Scale—10 at baseline, with follow-up testing 2 and 4 weeks later.
Participants in the treatment group completed feedback questions on their experiences with the app at the final assessment point. Participants were divided evenly between the treatment and control groups. No such changes were found among participants in the control group. No changes in stress were reported by participants in either group.
In response to the feedback questions, participants in the treatment group said that they liked many of the functions and features of the app, the general design of the app, and the user experience.
