Treatment Uptake Chatbot for Eating Disorders

Summary

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses associated with high morbidity and mortality, clinical impairment, and comorbid psychopathology. Although evidence-based treatments for EDs have been established, the treatment gap is wide. Indeed, \<20% of individuals with EDs receive treatment. There is need for a novel solution not only to identify individuals with EDs but also to encourage mental health services use and to address treatment barriers. This study aims to implement a conversational agent or "chatbot" that is optimized to increase mental health services use among individuals with EDs through such features as: 1) education on the seriousness and consequences of EDs; 2) engaging the user in motivational interviewing to overcome barriers to care; 3) providing a personalized recommendation for seeking intervention; 4) repeated check-ins with the user to encourage follow-up with care. This study will utilize a randomized optimization trial with adults who have completed screening on the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) website and screen positive for an ED but are not in treatment to determine chatbot feasibility and to generate data on the effect of the chatbot on motivation for treatment and mental health services use. This trial will employ the Multiphase Optimization Strategy framework, using a 2\^4 full factorial design, to randomly assign participants to a combination of the four proposed intervention components (n=16 conditions) to isolate the active ingredients.

Conditions

• Eating Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Personalized Recommendation

A discussion with the chatbot, including identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Motivational Interviewing

A discussion with the chatbot, including motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Core Modules Only

A discussion with the chatbot, including only the core modules.

BEHAVIORAL

Motivational Interviewing, Personalized Recommendation, Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder, identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder, and follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Motivational Interviewing, Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder and follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Motivational Interviewing, Personalized Recommendation

A discussion with the chatbot, including motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder and identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Personalized Recommendation, Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder and follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation, Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders and follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation, Personalized Recommendation

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders and identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation, Motivational Interviewing

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders and motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation, Motivational Interviewing, Personalized Recommendation

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders, motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder, and identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation, Personalized Recommendation, Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders, identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder, and follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation, Motivational Interviewing, Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders, motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder, and follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducation, Motivational Interviewing, Personalized Recommendation, Repeated Administration

A discussion with the chatbot, including psychoeducational content to increase knowledge related to eating disorders, motivational interviewing techniques to help overcome barriers to seeking care for their eating disorder, identifying a personalized recommendation for accessing help for their eating disorder, and follow ups over the course of 2 weeks to encourage help seeking for their eating disorder.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• Washington University School of Medicine

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft, PhD · Washington University School of Medicine

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-03-09

Primary Completion

2022-03-09

Completion

2022-05-09

Countries

• United States

Study Locations