Abstract
Up to 50% of patients with breast cancer experience anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder during or after treatment. Despite the critical need for mental health support, barriers such as stigma, limited access to psycho-oncology services, and time constraints in oncology care prevent many patients from receiving timely and effective interventions. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize mental health care for patients with breast cancer by enhancing early detection, personalizing interventions, and enabling continuous psychological monitoring. AI-driven technologies, including natural language processing, machine learning, and wearable biometric monitoring, can help to identify at-risk patients, provide tailored interventions, and expand mental health support beyond traditional clinical settings. AI-powered chatbots and telepsychiatry platforms offer scalable, cost-effective solutions that increase access to psychological care, while predictive modeling and recommender systems help tailor therapy approaches based on individual patient profiles. Wearable and sensor-based AI technologies provide real-time distress detection, allowing for timely interventions and improved long-term psychological well-being. However, despite great promise, the integration of AI into psycho-oncology mental health care presents significant challenges. Issues related to data privacy, algorithmic bias, clinician adoption, and patient trust must be addressed to ensure responsible and ethical implementation. AI models require diverse, representative datasets to avoid disparities in care, and human-AI hybrid approaches are essential to maintain the empathy and nuance required for mental health interventions. We review current applications, benefits, limitations, and future directions of AI in supporting the mental health of patients with breast cancer. AI has the potential to significantly improve psychological care, survivorship outcomes, and overall quality of life for patients with breast cancer.
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