The Development of a Mental Health Virtual Assistant (Chatbot) to Support Canadians

Mathew Reeson

Impact

  • This project aimed to make it easier for young Canadians to find mental health support. Many youth struggle to navigate the mental health system or find reliable information. To help with this, the MIRA virtual assistant was developed as an easy-to-use tool that connects users with trustworthy mental health resources.

  • MIRA also addresses the problem of false or confusing online content by recommending only high-quality, verified resources. This ensures youth get safe and reliable information in a simple, interactive format.

  • Moving forward, the project will expand MIRA’s resource library for youth and improve the chatbot’s conversation flow to make it even easier to use. A focus group study is also planned to explore how helpful and user-friendly MIRA is for young people.

  • With over 380 youth-focused mental health resources and growing, MIRA offers a safe, confidential, and accessible tool to help young Canadians and their caregivers find the support they need.

  • Ontario

  • Fellowship

  • Western University

  • Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

  • Mitacs, Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions

  • 2022-2023

  • Children and Youth Mental Health

  • Children (aged 1-12), Youth (aged 13-18)

About the Project

This project responds to Canada’s leading cause of disability – mental illness – by creating and testing an advanced chatbot, MIRA, for youth aged 14 to 25. It helps youth people connect to the right services, measures user satisfaction, and looks at its impact on mental well-being. MIRA is an AI-powered, interactive tool that guides users to resources from its library of over 900 vetted mental health services. A youth-friendly version is being developed to better meet the needs of young Canadians and their families.

Methodology

The team expanded a mental health resource library tailored to youth, with guidance from an expert advisory group comprising youth mental health experts and individuals with personal experience in this field. This committee was responsible for carefully evaluating and choosing which mental health resources should be included or excluded from the library. Currently, the library contains 387 mental health resources that are relevant to young people and their parents or caregivers. 

Furthermore, the team also worked closely with mental health organizations through individual meetings and conference presentations. These connections played a crucial role in expanding the resource library, enlarging the expert advisory committee, recruiting volunteers, evaluating gaps in the resource library, and gathering valuable insights for the youth-oriented expansion.

Findings

  • Although no formal data was collected, MIRA and its resource library have grown significantly. They now offer accessible, safe, and informative mental health resources specifically made according to the needs of young Canadians and their parents or caregivers.

  • By providing an intuitive virtual tool for navigating the mental health system, MIRA has the potential to contribute positively to the mental well-being of young Canadians.

Project Outreach

The project was based in Ontario and was scaled to Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Resources Created

  • A youth-focused section within the MIRA Library featuring 387 vetted mental health resources has been developed.

  • The project was featured at two major conferences:

    • At ACM IVA 2023 (on improving user interaction); and

    • At the 24th Annual Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Care Conference (highlighting MIRA’s impact on mental health support).