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Deploying a Mental Health Chatbot in Higher...
Journal article

Deploying a Mental Health Chatbot in Higher Education: The Development and Evaluation of Luna, an AI-Based Mental Health Support System

Abstract

Rising mental health challenges among postsecondary students have increased the demand for scalable, ethical solutions. This paper presents the design, development, and safety evaluation of Luna, a GPT-4-based mental health chatbot. Built using a modular PHP architecture, Luna integrates multi-layered prompt engineering, safety guardrails, and referral logic. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Detroit Mercy (Protocol #23-24-38) reviewed the proposed study and deferred full human subject approval, requesting technical validation prior to deployment. In response, we conducted a pilot test with a variety of users—including clinicians and students who simulated at-risk student scenarios. Results indicated that 96% of expert interactions were deemed safe, and 90.4% of prompts were considered useful. This paper describes Luna’s architecture, prompt strategy, and expert feedback, concluding with recommendations for future human research trials.

Authors

Olla P; Barnes A; Elliott L; Abumeeiz M; Olla V; Tan J

Journal

Computers, Vol. 14, No. 6,

Publisher

MDPI

Publication Date

June 1, 2025

DOI

10.3390/computers14060227

ISSN

2073-431X

Labels

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

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