# AI Chatots for Mental Health: A Scoping Review of Effectiveness, Feasibility, and Applications
## 3 Results  
### Characteristics of Included Studies  
The search yielded a total of 4310 records from various databases, with 4268 records excluded after initial screening. After a detailed review, 15 studies were included in the final analysis. The article selection process, documented in the PRISMA flow diagram (Figure 2), followed stringent guidelines to ensure the inclusion of relevant and high-quality studies. Figure 2: PRISMA 2020 flow diagram [56] generated using [PERSON] and colleagues’ online generator [57]. The included studies were categorized into several key areas: mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic, interventions for specific health conditions, preventive care and well-being, addressing substance use and addiction, health promotion, panic disorder management, and usability and engagement. Two studies focused on mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing AI chatbots to address issues such as depression and anxiety among college students. Three studies concentrated on interventions for specific health conditions, such as depression, Parkinson's disease, and migraines. Two studies addressed preventive care and well-being applications, examining the use of AI chatbots in preventing eating disorders and promoting well-being among young cancer survivors. Three studies explored the application of AI chatbots in tackling substance use and addiction, including interventions for problem gambling and cannabis/alcohol use. Two studies investigated the use of AI chatbots in health promotion, targeting problem-solving for older adults and HIV prevention and testing among men who have sex with men. One study focused on the management of panic disorder using a mobile app-based interactive CBT chatbot. Additionally, one study compared the usability of an anthropomorphic digital human with a text-based chatbot for responding to mental health queries. The methodologies employed in these studies included randomized controlled trials, cluster-controlled trials, open-label randomized studies, 8-week usability studies, pragmatic multicenter randomized controlled trials, pilot randomized controlled trials, and beta testing mixed methods studies. The full list of included studies is given in Table 1, along with the data extraction of each. As summarized in Figure 3, the included studies cover a broad spectrum of AI chatbot applications in mental health, ranging from specific interventions for mental health conditions to preventive care, substance use disorders, health promotion, and usability assessments. Figure 3: A flowchart summarizing the different areas of application for AI chatbots in mental health that were covered in the studies included in this review. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Name of the Paper** & **Year** & **Authors** & **Study Design** & **Sample** & **Main Outcome** \\ \hline Mental Health Chatbot for Young Adults With & & & & & & The AI chatbot Xiao: significantly reduced depressive \\ Depressive Symptoms During the COVID-19 & 2022 & [PERSON] et al. [58] & Randomized & & & symptoms in college students compared to control groups, with \\ Pandemic: Single-Blind, Three-Arm Randomized & & & & & & \\ Controlled Trial & & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Data extraction table summarizing key details from the studies included in this scoping review. Details include the name of the paper, year of publication, authors, study design, sample, and main outcome(s) reported. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Name of the Paper** & **Year** & **Authors** & **Study Design** & **Sample** & **Main Outcome** \\ \hline Guided versus unguided chatbot-delivered cognitive behavioral intervention for individuals with moderate-risk and problem gambling: A randomized controlled trial (GAMBOT2 study) & 2024 & [PERSON] et al.