Please make sure that you have >Node 20.x and python 3.11 installed in your system.

1. For frontend installation - Go to the client folder and run npm i
2. For backend installation - Go to the server folder and run pip install -r requirements. txt

1. For running frontend code - Go to the client folder and run npm run dev. To access the page, hit URL - http://localhost:3000/ in the browser
2. For backend installation - Go to the server/api folder and run flask run and access apis from postman using URL - http://localhost:5000

In recent years, the spotlight on mental health has intensified, underscoring its critical importance to public health. Despite growing awareness, significant barriers such as societal stigma, access issues, and a scarcity of resources continue to obstruct effective mental health care. In this landscape, technology, particularly through the use of chatbots, emerges as a promising solution to bridge these gaps. By developing a chatbot designed to assess mental health, we can offer a more accessible, immediate, and less daunting entry point for individuals seeking mental health care. This chatbot, through conversational engagement, would be capable of asking users a series of targeted questions to evaluate their mental health status. This process not only helps in providing a preliminary mental health score but also in making the experience more approachable for users. Importantly, the chatbot can guide users towards appropriate resources by connecting them with healthcare professionals, based on the assessment outcomes and their location. The introduction of such a chatbot represents a significant step forward in making mental health care more accessible and less intimidating to the general population. By sidestepping the traditional barriers to mental health services, it offers a novel, user-friendly approach to understanding and seeking help for mental health issues. This initiative has the potential to make a profound impact on public health by ensuring mental health wellness and resources are more readily available to those in need, contributing to a more inclusive and supportive healthcare environment.

This project aims to create a chatbot leveraging Object-Oriented Design (OOD) and Python to facilitate mental health assessments. Through engaging conversations, the chatbot will ask users a sequence of questions designed to evaluate their mental health. These questions are crafted to be both structured for consistency and flexible to adapt to individual users' needs. Based on the users' responses, the chatbot calculates a mental health score. Utilizing this score alongside the users' geographical information, it then suggests nearby mental health professionals or resources. A core focus of the project is to maintain the highest standards of user privacy, data security, and information accuracy. This ensures that users can trust the chatbot not only to provide them with reliable mental health evaluations and recommendations but also to safeguard their personal information. Ultimately, this chatbot aims to deliver a secure, accurate, and user-friendly experience for individuals seeking mental health support.

2.1 User Interaction and Assessment Features 2.1.1 Conversational Interface: The chatbot will interact with users through a structured yet intuitive text-based interface, guiding them through a series of questions designed to assess their mental health in a conversational format. This approach ensures ease of use and accessibility for a wide audience. 2.1.2 Mental Health Assessment: Utilizing a set of predefined questions based on standard psychological assessments, the chatbot will evaluate users' responses to gauge their mental well-being. This process is designed to identify potential mental health concerns and provide a preliminary assessment. 2.1.3 Immediate Feedback and Support Suggestions: Upon completing the assessment, users will receive feedback on their mental health status along with suggestions for next steps. This may include advice on self-care strategies or encouragement to seek professional help, depending on the assessment outcome.

2.2 Healthcare Professional Locator Features 2.2.1 Geolocation-Based Doctor Listing: The chatbot will feature integration with healthcare provider databases to list nearby mental health professionals based on the user's location. This resource aims to simplify the process of finding available support, offering users a list of potential providers along with their contact information. 2.2.2 Appointment Scheduling Assistance (optional): The chatbot could offer guidance or direct links to help users initiate contact with healthcare professionals or schedule appointments, further reducing barriers to accessing care.

2.3 Privacy and Security Features 2.3.1 Data Protection and User Anonymity: A strong focus will be placed on protecting user privacy through secure data handling practices and offering users the option to use the chatbot anonymously. This commitment to privacy aims to build trust and encourage more individuals to utilize the assessment tool. 2.3.2 Regulatory Compliance: The project will adhere to relevant healthcare privacy and data protection regulations to ensure the secure and ethical handling of user information.

2.4 User Experience and Improvement Features 2.4.1 Feedback Mechanism: Incorporating a user feedback system will allow the continuous improvement of the chatbot based on user experiences and suggestions. This feature is crucial for refining the assessment questions and the overall user interface. 2.4.2 Resource Update and Maintenance: Regular updates to the healthcare provider listings and the assessment tool will ensure the chatbot remains accurate and relevant. This includes maintaining up-to-date contact information for mental health professionals and refining assessment questions as needed.

2.5 Accessibility and Usability Features 2.5.1 Multi-Language Support: To ensure broad accessibility, the chatbot will be designed to support multiple languages, allowing users from diverse linguistic backgrounds to access mental health assessments and resources. 2.5.2 Optimization for Varied Internet Conditions: The chatbot will be optimized for performance across different internet bandwidth conditions, ensuring users with limited internet access can still benefit from the service.

This mental health chatbot embodies the definition of a "killer app" by addressing the critical need for accessible mental health care with an innovative and user-friendly solution. It stands out by providing a stigma-free platform for users to assess their mental health privately, encouraging more individuals to seek help. Leveraging Object-Oriented Design and Python, the chatbot offers a scalable and adaptable service that can evolve alongside technological advancements and the expansion of healthcare provider databases. This ensures the chatbot remains effective and relevant in the dynamic healthcare landscape. The integration with healthcare databases and the commitment to high standards of privacy and data security enable it to deliver accurate, personalized recommendations for mental health resources. By making mental health care more accessible and reducing barriers to seeking help, this chatbot has the potential to make a significant impact on public health, defining it as a groundbreaking application in the healthcare and wellness industry.

1. Accessibility: Ensuring mental health assessments and resources are available to anyone with internet access, breaking geographical and logistical barriers.
2. Stigma Reduction: Offering a confidential and judgment-free environment for individuals to explore their mental health issues.
3. Resource Allocation: Directing users to the most appropriate care efficiently, thus alleviating pressure on overloaded mental health services.
4. Information Accuracy: Delivering reliable, current information on mental health resources and professional help.
5. Awareness and Education: Increasing awareness and understanding of mental health issues through accessible information and resources.
6. Early Intervention: Facilitating early detection and intervention for mental health issues, potentially improving long-term outcomes.
7. Crisis Support: Providing immediate resources or guidance for individuals in crisis situations.
8. User Empowerment: Empowering users to take the first step towards mental health care independently.
9. Customized Care Pathways: Tailoring recommendations and resources to the individual’s specific needs and circumstances.
10. Reducing Healthcare System Strain: By offering an alternative entry point for mental health care, the chatbot can help to divert non-urgent cases away from overwhelmed healthcare facilities, allowing them to better allocate resources to more severe cases.
11. Supporting Continuous Care: Enabling users to monitor their mental health over time, supporting ongoing care and intervention strategies beyond initial contact.
12. Bridging the Gap to Professional Help: Acting as an intermediary step that helps individuals transition from recognizing a problem to seeking professional care, thus bridging a critical gap in the mental health care continuum.
13. Normalization of Mental Health Conversations: By facilitating easy and accessible conversations about mental health, the chatbot contributes to normalizing these discussions in society, reducing stigma.
14. Empowering Users with Choice: Providing users with multiple options for care and support, empowering them to make informed decisions about their mental health care pathways.

Our chatbot is designed for a wide-ranging audience, specifically targeting individuals seeking mental health support or information who might be reluctant to engage with traditional healthcare services. This includes people of all ages, from teenagers grappling with the stresses of adolescence, adults facing the pressures of work and family life, to the elderly who may be dealing with loneliness or age-related mental health issues. We also focus on reaching those in remote or underserved areas where mental health services are not readily available or are non-existent. By providing a platform that is accessible, confidential, and informative, the chatbot aims to serve as a valuable resource for anyone looking to understand their mental health better, seek advice, or find professional help, regardless of their location, age, or specific mental health concern. This inclusivity ensures that the chatbot has the potential to make a significant positive impact on a broad spectrum of society.

The technical feasibility of this mental health chatbot project is anchored in the robust capabilities of Python as a programming language, particularly its rich set of libraries for developing interactive applications and processing user input. Utilizing Object-Oriented Design (OOD) principles, the project promises a modular, scalable, and maintainable architecture, enabling the chatbot to evolve and incorporate more sophisticated features over time. Python’s extensive support for data handling and its ability to integrate with various APIs and external services also play a crucial role in the system's development. This flexibility ensures that the chatbot can be enhanced with additional functionalities, such as connecting users with mental health resources or professionals as needed. The availability of cloud-based hosting solutions further supports the feasibility, offering a reliable and scalable platform for deployment and ensuring the chatbot is accessible to a broad audience with minimal infrastructure requirement