Systematic review of artificial intelligence enabled psychological interventions for depression and anxiety: A comprehensive analysis.

Psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety represent significant global health challenges, affecting individuals of all ages and contributing to a substantial disability burden worldwide. Despite advancements in mental health care, barriers such as cost, geographical limits, and social stigma may prevent individuals from receiving early psychological interventions. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a prominent tool to address these issues by facilitating early detection, personalized treatment, and intervention delivery for individuals experiencing depression and anxiety. Hence, the present systematic review focused on AI-enabled conversational chatbots for the identification and management of depression and anxiety. The current systematic review yielded a total of ten studies after a thorough analysis. The majority of studies were randomized controlled trials. The most frequently utilized AI method was conversational AI agents which are chatbots available through online software accessible via computers or smartphones. The investigations revealed significant outcomes by using AI for the enhancement of psychotherapy. The majority of studies showed a low risk (71.67%), indicating their reliability, while unclear studies (15%) exhibited some ambiguity without invalidating results. Conversely, studies classified as high risk (13.33%) indicated significant bias and potential errors. Chatbots have emerged as an effective medium for self-help depression and anxiety management. Studies have revealed significant positive outcomes, showing the potential of AI augmentation in psychotherapy to reduce clinical symptomatology. Notably, chatbot-delivered therapies have proven to be more successful than limited bibliotherapy, demonstrating their ability to effectively reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety while encouraging a stronger therapeutic alliance among participants.