ChatGPT: A Pilot Study on a Promising Tool for Mental Health Support in Psychiatric Inpatient Care
Open accessAbstract
Introduction: This pilot study assesses ChatGPT’s effectiveness as an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot in psychiatric inpatient care. Global mental health challenges highlight a significant treatment gap, mainly due to restricted service access and mental health professional shortages. AI chatbots like ChatGPT offer innovative solutions, providing services such as self-help advice, coaching, psychoeducation, and emotional support. Methods: This study involved a group of patients receiving psychiatric inpatient care. The intervention group engaged in 3-6 ChatGPT sessions under guided prompts, while the control group received standard care. The primary outcome was based on World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire – Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) scores, and the secondary outcome assessed patient satisfaction with ChatGPT. Results: Twelve patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 27 (standard deviation of 8.57). The intervention group (7 patients) showed notable improvements in WHOQOL-BREF scores compared to the control group (5 groups), and high satisfaction levels with ChatGPT sessions were reported. Discussion: These findings suggest that AI chatbots like ChatGPT can enhance patient-reported quality of life in a psychiatric setting, with high user satisfaction. However, limitations include a small sample size and the exclusion of patients with psychosis. Future studies should focus on larger, diverse patient groups for broader validation. These results support the potential of AI chatbots in mental health care, which can provide more accessible and varied treatment options. This study lays the groundwork for further exploration into the role of AI in enhancing psychiatric treatment, advocating for larger-scale investigations to establish more conclusive evidence of their effectiveness and applicability in diverse mental health scenarios.
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Generative AI's capabilities represent a significant opportunity for digital mental health, with media reports of increasing consumer usage, one meta-analysis finding generative AI chatbots more effective than rule-based ones at reducing psychological distress, and a pilot study showing promising results from ChatGPT usage in psychiatric inpatient care.
“Generative AI’s capabilities represent a significant opportunity for digital mental health37, with media reports of increasing consumer usage38,39, one meta-analysis finding generative AI chatbots more effective than rule-based ones at reducing psychological distress40, and a pilot study showing promising results from ChatGPT usage in psychiatric inpatient care41.”
From “It happened to be the perfect thing”: experiences of generative AI chatbots for mental health (2024) · cites this paper as [41]
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- ChatGPT: A Pilot Study on a Promising Tool for Mental Health Support in Psychiatric Inpatient Care International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees
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- Authors
- Melo, A., Silva, I., & Lopes, J.
- Affiliations
- Hospital Vila Franca de Xira (PT)
- Venue
- International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees
- Published
- 2024-02-09
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 2957-4080 (ISSN-L)
- 3005-3870
- OpenAlex
- W4391679088
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 5
- FWCI
- 11.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Health Informatics › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
- Keywords
- ChatGPT, AI chatbots, psychiatric inpatient care, mental health support, quality of life, patient satisfaction, WHOQOL-BREF, self-help, psychoeducation, emotional support, treatment gap
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