Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41139589›Full record

ReviewClinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology2025

Digital Psychiatry with Chatbot: Recent Advances and Limitations.

Se Chang Yoon, Ji Hyun An, Jung-Seok Choi, June Ho Chang, Yoo Jin Jang, Hong Jin Jeon

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Digital Psychiatry with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: Recent Advances and Limitations.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Se Chang YoonDepartment of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9731-8898
Ji Hyun AnDepartment of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1628-9617
Jung-Seok ChoiDepartment of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2139-0522
June Ho ChangDepartment of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8823-4394
Yoo Jin JangDepartment of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9945-3541
Hong Jin JeonDepartment of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6126-542X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: The escalating global mental health crisis necessitates innovative solutions to address traditional service limitations such as high costs and professional shortages. This review examines the emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in digital psychiatry, analyzing their clinical efficacy, ethical challenges, and future directions. Methods: This narrative review synthesizes evidence from recent randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and scholarly publications on AI chatbots for mental health. It also discusses the ethical and social implications, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and cognitive effects, and provides a forward-looking roadmap for regulation and development. Results: Chatbots grounded in evidence-based principles like cognitive-behavioral therapy demonstrate clinical effectiveness in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, with some studies reporting a strong "therapeutic alliance" comparable to that with human therapists. AI models also show promise in diagnostic and predictive roles by analyzing selfreport questionnaires and physiological data. However, critical risks include inappropriate responses in crisis situations, potential for AI psychosis, and the erosion of cognitive abilities due to over-reliance. Conclusion: The future of digital psychiatry lies in a blended care model that combines the accessibility of AI with the indispensable empathy and professional judgment of human clinicians. A collaborative roadmap is essential, mandating safety protocols, strengthened data governance, expert involvement, and ethical design to ensure AI acts as a transformative and responsible tool.

Indexed as

Artificial intelligenceDigital healthEthicsGenerative artificial intelligenceMental healthTreatment outcome

Identifiers

PMID41139589
PMCPMC12559941

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.