Deppy: Your Virtual Companion

Abstract

AbstractDepression is a chronic mental illness that affects over 264 million people around the world. It's marked by a recurrent depression and a lack of interest or enjoyment in previously satisfying or pleasurable tasks. It may also cause sleep and appetite disturbances, as well as fatigue and poor concentration. Serious depression is a mood disorder marked by feelings of inadequacy, despondency, decreased activity, pessimism, anhedonia, and sadness, which deeply disrupt and negatively impact a person's life, often to the point where suicide is attempted or occurs. The drive for a deeper understanding of depression's causes and the discovery of new therapies is necessary. For moderate and extreme depression, there are both psychological and pharmacological therapies available. Treatment and support programmes for depression are often absent or underdeveloped in low- and middle-income countries. In these nations, an estimated 76–85% of people with mental illnesses do not have access to the care they need. To assess the degree of depression, we must determine the extent to which we can recognize the person's depressed characteristics. A depressive person's diagnosis is vital in determining the type of treatment he or she receives, and a suicidal person must be recognized and treated accordingly. This study examines depression using artificial learning approaches and provides basic support to individuals in need. This can also aid in the resolution of specific mental health concerns, such as waiting lists and worldwide issues that hinder people from receiving face-to-face counselling visits.KeywordsDepressionMental HealthConversational AgentPsychotherapyChatbotNatural Language ProcessingDeep Neural Network