Development of a Dialogue System that Supports Recovery for Patients with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by relapsing episodes of psychosis. Schizophrenia is treatable, and treatment with medicines and psychosocial support is effective. However, schizophrenia is one of the most expensive mental illnesses in terms of total medical costs required, including costs for effective treatment and for the continuous support and monitoring that is necessary. It is therefore useful and beneficial to explore how new technology, such as dialogue systems and social robots, can be used to provide help and assistance for care personnel as well as for the patients in the treatment and recovery from the illness. In this paper, we discuss various issues related to the development of a dialogue system that is able to recognize the characteristics of schizophrenia and provide support for schizophrenia patients 24 h a day.