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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06013137

Chatbot for Depression, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders

The research team would like to test how efficacious an artificial intelligence chatbot is in delivering supportive behavioral interventions in populations with anxiety, depression, or eating concerns.

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Key information

Conditions

Depression Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Eating Disorders Feeding and Eating Disorders Mental Disorders Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms, Digestive

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Dartmouth College

Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03766, United States

About this study

The research team has developed a deep learning-powered application that can provide support and therapeutic suggestions via natural dialogue. The chatbot is designed to be highly scalable such that it could address access issues (to address the majority of persons who do not not have access to therapy). Eventually, it is hoped this intervention can provide accessible therapy for those with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, among other mental illnesses. The chatbot has been trained with intervention-oriented text conversations written by research assistants, employing a variety of therapeutic techniques, including cognitive-behavioral therapy. The research team hopes to test how well the chatbot can respond and aid those with mental health symptoms. The chatbot's effectiveness will be monitored based on the participants' interactions with the chatbot, as well as the participants' scores on the PHQ-9, GAD-IV, SWED, and general satisfactory questionnaires.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • We will recruit participants online using Facebook, Google Ads, Reddit, MTurk, listservs, and other online platforms.
  • These individuals must meet the criteria for anxiety, depression or disordered eating, according to the PHQ-9, GADQ-IV, and SWED 3.0.

Exclusion criteria

  • Individuals currently being treated for active suicidality (measured with C-SSRS), Bipolar I/II, and active psychosis will be excluded from the study.

Treatment and study plan

Therabot

Other

The participants assigned to the experimental group will interact with an artificial intelligence therapy chatbot to alleviate symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. The control group will not have access to this smartphone chatbot app.

Other names: Artificial Intelligence Chatbot

Primary outcomes

  1. Anxiety Symptoms

    Time frame: Each participant in the anxiety cohort will fill out an anxiety questionnaire to establish baseline symptoms, and they will fill out this questionnaire again after 4 and 8 weeks of using the therapy chatbot to track changes in their symptoms.

    Anxiety symptoms will be measured with the GAD-IV.

  2. Depressive Symptoms

    Time frame: Each participant in the depression cohort will fill out a questionnaire to establish baseline symptoms, and they will fill out this questionnaire again after 4 and 8 weeks of using the therapy chatbot to track changes in their symptoms.

    Depressive symptoms will be measured with the PHQ-9.

  3. Eating Disorders Symptoms

    Time frame: Each participant in the eating disorders cohort will fill out a questionnaire to establish baseline symptoms, and they will fill out this questionnaire again after 4 and 8 weeks of using the therapy chatbot to track changes in their symptoms.

    Eating Disorders symptoms will be measured with the SWED.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Testing an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot for Mental Health

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Aug 28, 2023
Registry last updated
Jun 27, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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