Journal
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW
Volume 35, Issue -, Pages 35-46Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2014.07.001
Keywords
Socially assistive robotics; Mental healthcare and technology
Categories
Funding
- Div Of Information & Intelligent Systems
- Direct For Computer & Info Scie & Enginr [1139078] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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As a field, mental healthcare is faced with major challenges as it attempts to close the huge gap between those who need services and those who receive services. In recent decades, technological advances have provided exciting new resources in this battle. Socially assistive robotics (SAR) is a particularly promising area that has expanded into several exciting mental healthcare applications. Indeed, a growing literature highlights the variety of clinically relevant functions that these robots can serve, from companion to therapeutic play partner. This paper reviews the ways that SAR have already been used in mental health service and research and discusses ways that these applications can be expanded. We also outline the challenges and limitations associated with further integrating SAR into mental healthcare. SAR is not proposed as a replacement for specially trained and knowledgeable professionals nor is it seen as a panacea for all mental healthcare needs. Instead, robots can serve as clinical tools and assistants in a wide range of settings. Given the dramatic growth in this area, now is a critical moment for individuals in the mental healthcare community to become engaged in this research and steer it toward our field's most pressing clinical needs. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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