AI-ALTHEA

Abstract

In today’s era, mental health is considered as important as physical health. It has become a major concern due to the rising rates of suicide and clinical depression, especially among the younger generation. Many individuals find it difficult to open up about their issues due to fear of judgment, invalidation, and limited access to professional help. As a result, people have started relying on chatbots and AI-based solutions that are not always effective in providing empathetic and meaningful support. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop systems that not only make people feel heard and understood but also provide genuine emotional support along with practical and empathetic solutions to their problems. The objective of this project, Althea, is to create an emotionally intelligent mental health companion that enables users to express their feelings and problems in a non-judgmental environment. Althea is designed to understand the sensitivity of each situation, offer meaningful emotional support, and ensure the confidentiality of users’ sensitive information. Advanced techniques and tools are used in the development of this system to enhance its functionality and improve the user experience. The system includes features such as emotion recognition, personalized interaction, and continuous learning from previous chat history to increase its effectiveness and user-friendliness. These features, including emotion recognition, user-based personalization, and a non-judgmental environment, help users communicate their personal concerns and feelings without hesitation or fear of judgment. The main goal of the system is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and seeking professional help.