Abstract:
This chatbot is powered with advanced NLP models, combined with XAI, to allow the
detection not only of direct expressions of suicidal thoughts but also the indirect, subtle cues
from a person that might indicate poor mental health. Inclusion of XAI provides for the
transparency of decision-making so that the process becomes understood by the end user or a
professional in the field. The present chatbot, by embedding an empathetic responding
mechanism into the conversation, creates an enabling environment where one would feel free
to share openly. this could even become a tool for early intervention. It acquires data from the
open mental health dataset, pre-processes the information in proper structure so that the quality
of the information can be assured. In this paper, the performance of the chatbot can be measured
with the help of different metrics-accuracy, precision, recall, and benchmark performance from
already proposed solutions for the identification of suicidal ideation. In addition, feedback is
solicited from the users to evaluate the usability of the system, its transparency, and perceived
empathetic capabilities.
