AI Based Chatbots Making the Mental Healthcare Accessible During the Pandemic

1. AI Based Chatbots Making the Mental Healthcare Accessible During the Pandemic With the onset of the pandemic, the lockdown was imposed in almost all the countries to contain the outbreak of the virus. Social interaction has come to a halt and people are living through implementing social distance. This has created a significant impact on the mental health of all individuals. Since everyone is fighting the stress of handling COVID-19 infection, mental health during the COVID-19​ outbreak has significantly deteriorated. So many people are subject to ​coronavirus depression which has given rise to other mental health issues as well. Everything including jobs, education, travel has been brought to disruption. People cannot step out of their houses for the fear of catching

2. the virus. Therefore, mental healthcare professionals have come up with mental health chatbots​. Mental health chatbots are AI-powered machine learning systems where the individual chats with an algorithm to solve his mental health problems. And these chatbots have proved to be useful when mental healthcare is not accessible through the normal channel. How Do These Chatbots Work? Mental health chatbots work on advanced learning algorithms that evolve through conversations with various individuals that come with myriad mental health issues. The most important thing to understand here is that mental health chatbots cannot serve as a replacement for therapists or mental healthcare practitioners. Interaction with mental health chatbots happens through the internet from the comfort of home using a mobile browser or a mental healthcare app. Chatbots ensure privacy, anonymity, and the need to sit across a real therapist. This is how the biggest taboo around mental healthcare is addressed. Chatbots remove the social stigma that comes associated with mental health issues. People tend to think that if you need to see a therapist, something is really wrong with the individual’s brain. And chatbots

3. address this stigma very efficiently and effectively. Moreover, the patient does not have to go through the anxiety of facing a real person to address his mental healthcare issues. How have mental health chatbots changed the scenario of mental healthcare? So many individuals face a lot of anxiety and apprehension when they have to talk to a real therapist. In some situations, the individual is unable to talk freely about their concerns and problems for the fear of judgment. This problem is eliminated when you talk to a mental healthcare chatbot. You can chat with a chatbot from home, through your Internet-connected mobile phone. And with the usage of chatbots, studies have found that the individuals were able to talk freely. So many individuals found talking to chatbots easier than facing a real therapist. Moreover, these mental health chatbots can give out initial diagnosis and help the mental healthcare professional dive deeper to dig out the root of the problem. Conclusion:

4. Technological intervention has led many people to reach out to improve their mental health. ​coronavirus depression​ can be beneficial in combating coronavirus depression in these times of uncertainty. Reference Link: ​AI Based Chatbots Making the Mental Healthcare Accessible During the Pandemic