DEVELOPMENT OF A VIRTUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANT WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

Introduction. The global transformative changes that the modern world has been undergoing since the beginning of the 21st century have brought mental health to the forefront as one of the most pressing challenges of our time. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 970 million people live with cognitive disorders, with anxiety and depression being the most common, affecting about 264 million individuals (World Health Organization, 2019). As experts conclude, this trend shows a steady increase, which is especially pronounced during wars, pandemics, and natural and man-made disasters. The demand for psychological assistance is evident and, in some cases, grows during post-catastrophic, post-pandemic, and post-traumatic periods. One of the major challenges faced by mental health services is limited access to care. Some of the primary reasons for the lack of access to mental health services include high costs, absence or shortage of service providers, long distances, lack of time, societal stigma, and many other factors. To bridge this gap, many digital intervention services and professional support tools are being developed in mental health care. Aim. This work aims to provide scientific and methodological justification and practical development of an online platform for the chatbot "Virtual Psychological Assistant," powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to provide psychological assistance to the population during wartime, disasters, and other emergencies. Materials and methods. The functional capabilities of the online platform "Virtual Psychological Assistant," its operating algorithms, and its effectiveness in supporting users' mental health are considered. Special attention is given to potential risks, such as the spread of misinformation and privacy concerns, as well as proposed measures to mitigate them. Results. The results of the practical development and pilot application of the AI-based online platform "Virtual Psychological Assistant" are presented, particularly the chatbot for psychological counseling, which was created by a joint working group of scientists from the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence Problems of the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Conclusions. The developed AI-powered chatbot is a powerful tool for addressing the mental health issues of the population of Ukraine, making mental health services accessible to all who need them.