Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysis

BackgroundThe proliferation of chatbots in the digital mental health sector is gaining momentum, offering a promising solution to address the pressing shortage of mental health professionals. By providing accessible and convenient mental health services and support, chatbots are poised to become a p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qing Han, Chenyang Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1494355/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832542311114866688
author Qing Han
Chenyang Zhao
author_facet Qing Han
Chenyang Zhao
author_sort Qing Han
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundThe proliferation of chatbots in the digital mental health sector is gaining momentum, offering a promising solution to address the pressing shortage of mental health professionals. By providing accessible and convenient mental health services and support, chatbots are poised to become a primary technological intervention in bridging the gap between mental health needs and available resources.ObjectiveThis study undertakes a thorough bibliometric analysis and discourse on the applications of chatbots in mental health, with the objective of elucidating the underlying scientific patterns that emerge at the intersection of chatbot technology and mental health care on a global scale.MethodsThe bibliometric software Biblioshiny and VOSviewer were used to conduct a comprehensive analysis of 261 scientific articles published in the Web of Science Core Collection between 2015 and 2024. Publications distribution are analyzed to measure productivity on countries, institutions, and sources. Scientific collaboration networks are generated to analyze the influence as well as communications between countries and institutions. Research topics and trends are formulated by using a keyword co-occurrence network.ResultsOver the last decade, researches on utilization of chatbots in mental health has appeared to be increasing steadily at an annual rate of 46.19%. The United States have made significant contributions to the development and expansion of publications, accounting for 27.97% of the total research output with 2452 citation counts. England came second to the US in terms of publications and citations, and followed by Australia, China, and France. National Center for Scientific Research in France ranked first among all institutions, followed by Imperial College London and University of Zurich. The number of articles published in Journal of Medical Internet Research was exceptionally high, accounting for 12.26% of the total number of articles, and JMIR Mental Health is the most influential publication sources in terms of average citations per article. Collaboration among universities in the USA, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Singapore demonstrated a high level. The keyword co-occurrence network highlights the prominent techniques in this multidisciplinary area and reveals 5 research topics, showing a significant overlap between clusters. High-frequency terms such as “ChatGPT”, “machine learning”, and “large language models” underscore the current state of research, highlighting the cutting-edge advancements and frontiers in this field.ConclusionsThis study provides an in-depth analysis of the most prominent countries, institutions, publications, collaboration status, and research topics associated with utilization of chatbots in mental health over the last decade. It offers insights to mental health professionals without an AI background and individuals interested in the development of mental health chatbots. The findings suggest that chatbots hold a significant role in promoting mental health well-being and exhibit considerable potential in demonstrating empathy, curiosity, understanding, and collaborative capabilities with users.
format Article
id doaj-art-6b252d636ba44be7861cc99f430b2a98
institution Kabale University
issn 1664-0640
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Psychiatry
spelling doaj-art-6b252d636ba44be7861cc99f430b2a982025-02-04T06:31:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-02-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.14943551494355Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysisQing Han0Chenyang Zhao1Department of Information, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Humanities, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, ChinaBackgroundThe proliferation of chatbots in the digital mental health sector is gaining momentum, offering a promising solution to address the pressing shortage of mental health professionals. By providing accessible and convenient mental health services and support, chatbots are poised to become a primary technological intervention in bridging the gap between mental health needs and available resources.ObjectiveThis study undertakes a thorough bibliometric analysis and discourse on the applications of chatbots in mental health, with the objective of elucidating the underlying scientific patterns that emerge at the intersection of chatbot technology and mental health care on a global scale.MethodsThe bibliometric software Biblioshiny and VOSviewer were used to conduct a comprehensive analysis of 261 scientific articles published in the Web of Science Core Collection between 2015 and 2024. Publications distribution are analyzed to measure productivity on countries, institutions, and sources. Scientific collaboration networks are generated to analyze the influence as well as communications between countries and institutions. Research topics and trends are formulated by using a keyword co-occurrence network.ResultsOver the last decade, researches on utilization of chatbots in mental health has appeared to be increasing steadily at an annual rate of 46.19%. The United States have made significant contributions to the development and expansion of publications, accounting for 27.97% of the total research output with 2452 citation counts. England came second to the US in terms of publications and citations, and followed by Australia, China, and France. National Center for Scientific Research in France ranked first among all institutions, followed by Imperial College London and University of Zurich. The number of articles published in Journal of Medical Internet Research was exceptionally high, accounting for 12.26% of the total number of articles, and JMIR Mental Health is the most influential publication sources in terms of average citations per article. Collaboration among universities in the USA, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Singapore demonstrated a high level. The keyword co-occurrence network highlights the prominent techniques in this multidisciplinary area and reveals 5 research topics, showing a significant overlap between clusters. High-frequency terms such as “ChatGPT”, “machine learning”, and “large language models” underscore the current state of research, highlighting the cutting-edge advancements and frontiers in this field.ConclusionsThis study provides an in-depth analysis of the most prominent countries, institutions, publications, collaboration status, and research topics associated with utilization of chatbots in mental health over the last decade. It offers insights to mental health professionals without an AI background and individuals interested in the development of mental health chatbots. The findings suggest that chatbots hold a significant role in promoting mental health well-being and exhibit considerable potential in demonstrating empathy, curiosity, understanding, and collaborative capabilities with users.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1494355/fullchatbotsconversational agentsmental healthpsychiatryartificial intelligencebibliometric
spellingShingle Qing Han
Chenyang Zhao
Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysis
Frontiers in Psychiatry
chatbots
conversational agents
mental health
psychiatry
artificial intelligence
bibliometric
title Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysis
title_full Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysis
title_fullStr Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysis
title_full_unstemmed Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysis
title_short Unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health: bibliometric analysis
title_sort unleashing the potential of chatbots in mental health bibliometric analysis
topic chatbots
conversational agents
mental health
psychiatry
artificial intelligence
bibliometric
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1494355/full
work_keys_str_mv AT qinghan unleashingthepotentialofchatbotsinmentalhealthbibliometricanalysis
AT chenyangzhao unleashingthepotentialofchatbotsinmentalhealthbibliometricanalysis