Recently, a smartphone application received an award. It allows its users to obtain psychological support by means of a chatbot. The latter is intended to replace the therapist between two appointments.
People who have recourse to a psychiatrist would dream of being able to contact their therapist at any time to discuss their problems. Of course, that's totally impossible. However, a recent mobile application could represent an interesting alternative. This is My Sherpa, which received an award at the Scientific Committee of the 2021 Encephalon Psychiatry Congress. Note that the application does not propose to entirely replace the psychiatrist. Nevertheless, the mission of the chatbot (conversational robot) is to relay between two appointments. This psychological support therefore allows the patient to wait for the next session with his therapist.
The term "sherpa" usually refers to an ethnic group originating from Tibet. It is also a common name, referring to porters and guides helping mountaineers on the Himalayan peaks. In the case of the application, the image is as follows:helping the patient to climb the high mountains of anxiety , anxiety and depression.
Already had over 100,000 downloads , the My Sherpa application is the result of the collaboration of several psychiatrists and psychologists. These professionals have directly taken into account the requests from their patients. They sometimes believe that the time between two appointments is too long or do not dare to disturb the therapist outside the sessions. Some patients also want to be able to "work" on their anxiety or phobia between appointments. And so the app was born.
In practice, the chatbot first asks the patient questions. The answers will define the proposed course, consisting of exercises and other activities. Each of the methods applied comes from cognitive therapy techniques and behavior that professionals usually use. At first, it is a question of adapting to the emotional and physical state of the patient. Then, the application accompanies the latter on a daily basis within the framework of the chosen program. Along the way, adjustments may be made with the patient's consent. Their agreement is also necessary in order to share the data with the therapist.
An important clarification:My Sherpa is rather energy-intensive and therefore requires a full battery in order to carry out the conversation. Finally, the application was initially free to download before going to 5.99 euros per month. Finally, professionals want to make it totally free . Discussions are also underway with Social Security to obtain reimbursement.
