A MENTAL health charity has teamed up with Ulster University to launch a new service aimed at promoting positive wellbeing that is available 24 hours a day.
The ChatPal chatbot is a multilingual mental wellbeing service adopted by Action Mental Health following a three-year project by researchers from UU.
Available in four languages - Swedish, Finnish, Scottish Gaelic and English - ChatPal has been co-designed with both users and mental health professionals from across Europe.
It can be accessed at any time of day by those in need, aiming to promote positive mental health and wellbeing - while trying to prevent mental ill health, through engaging dialogue and psycho-education.
Jacqueline Jackson is among those who have used the ChatPal chatbot service.
"I thought I wouldn’t like it at first because it was digital and I am not fully skilled in this area, so I was a bit nervous about using it but actually I found it very easy to use," she said.
"This app is very helpful and thought-provoking. Personally, I found it enabling and a good source for self-help and motivation - I liked that it gave me some very useful tips.
"I found the whole experience of using the chatbot helpful and used it every day as part of a wee routine for myself.
"I did not experience any difficulties, and on the whole my experience was positive and I would recommend that people try this method of support before dismissing it as an option."
David Babington from Action Mental Health said the project has had an "increasingly beneficial impact on our clients who have mental health issues, by reducing isolation and reassuring them about where they can find support".
"It has also given them greater confidence in using this type of digital intervention."
Raymond Bond, Professor of Human Computer Systems at UU, said their research "highlights the importance of collaborative working and the transformative nature of using digital solutions to improve mental wellbeing and prevent mental ill health".
For more information, visit chatpal.interreg-npa.eu.
