Trial reportBMC psychology2025
The use of artificial intelligence in psychotherapy: development of intelligent therapeutic systems.
Trial report in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Efficacy of Rule-Based Versus Large Language Model-Based Chatbots in Alleviating Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- GymBuddy and Elomia, AI-integrated applications, effects on the mental health of the students with psychological disorders.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- Possible Role and Function of AI Conversational Agents in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- An AI Perspective on Counseling Supervision.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The Digital Mirror: Clinical Potentials and Relational Risks of Generative AI in Mental Health Interventions.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Review
- Students' Perspectives on Digital Psychotherapy-Possible Solutions for Digital Inpatient-Like Care Concepts: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR medical education · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of AI and rule-based conversational agents for depression, anxiety and stress: A meta-analysis.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- Application and effectiveness of artificial intelligence in adolescent mental health support and therapy: a scoping review.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Personalized machine learning guided intervention for optimizing lifestyle behaviors in depression: a pilot study.NPP - digital psychiatry and neuroscience · 2026Article
- Exploring Students' Perceptions and Usage of Artificial Intelligence in Supporting Mental Health: A Preliminary Study in Higher Education in Qatar.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- AI in Psychotherapy: Opportunities and Risks.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A review of artificial intelligence enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy using the BECK AI BOT for mental health interventions.Discover mental health · 2026Article
- Review
- From promise to practice: artificial intelligence in mental health care in the MENA region.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- A conversational agent as a virtual therapist for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia: A preliminary study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Artificial intelligence as a source of psychotherapy-related psychoeducation: a cross-sectional content analysis of information on eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Psychiatry and artificial intelligence: A need for informed engagement.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2026Article
- Is it Time to Better Harness Artificial Intelligence for Improving Lifestyle Behaviours?International journal of public health · 2026Article
- The Use of Artificial Intelligence for Personalized Treatment in Psychiatry.Current psychiatry reports · 2025Review
- AI and the coming mental health zombie apocalypse.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe increasing demand for psychotherapy and limited access to specialists underscore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in mental health care. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the AI-powered Friend chatbot in providing psychological support during crisis situations, compared to traditional psychotherapy.
methodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted with 104 women diagnosed with anxiety disorders in active war zones. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group used the Friend chatbot for daily support, while the control group received 60-minute psychotherapy sessions three times a week. Anxiety levels were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory. T-tests were used to analyze the results.
resultsBoth groups showed significant reductions in anxiety levels. The control group receiving traditional therapy had a 45% reduction on the Hamilton scale and a 50% reduction on the Beck scale, compared to 30% and 35% reductions in the chatbot group. While the chatbot provided accessible, immediate support, traditional therapy proved more effective due to the emotional depth and adaptability provided by human therapists. The chatbot was particularly beneficial in crisis settings where access to therapists was limited, proving its value in scalability and availability. However, its emotional engagement was notably lower compared to in-person therapy.
conclusionsThe Friend chatbot offers a scalable, cost-effective solution for psychological support, particularly in crisis situations where traditional therapy may not be accessible. Although traditional therapy remains more effective in reducing anxiety, a hybrid model combining AI support with human interaction could optimize mental health care, especially in underserved areas or during emergencies. Further research is needed to improve AI's emotional responsiveness and adaptability.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.