Developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbot for Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
- Where
- Hershey, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 20 people, planned
- Started
- 23 Mar 2026
- Expected to end
- 30 Jun 2027
- Type of study
- Interventional
- Treatments tested
- "Exp-ED" Digital Exposure-Therapy Chatbot app
- Record updated
- 15 April 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 12 years to 26 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 8 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Age is between or equal to 12-26 years
- Admitted to the Penn State Health Eating Disorder Partial Hospital Program (PHP) or Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
- Have a personal smartphone
- Have a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED)
- Be English speaking
Who cannot take part
- Diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
- Have acute suicidality
- Diagnosis of an intellectual disability
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 12 and 26 years old?
Where in United States
- Penn State College of MedicineHershey, United StatesContact: Jamal H Essayli, PhDTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
The goal of this study is to develop and refine an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Exposure Therapy for Eating Disorders chatbot web-app that effectively engages adolescents and young adults and decreases anxiety about weight gain. Participants will use the web-app as a supplemental therapeutic tool during their first six weeks of treatment in a Partial Hospitalization Program. Participants will complete assessments every two weeks, including: (1) semi-structured interviews about their experience with the chatbot web-app; (2) implementation outcome measures (e.g., feasibility, usability, acceptability); and (3) anxiety about weight gain.
The group in the trial
- "Exp-ED" Digital Exposure-Therapy Chatbot appTreatment being tested
Exp-ED will target anxiety about weight gain through an exposure based treatment.
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Powered Exposure Therapy Chatbot for Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT07237607, who can take part
- Record updated
- 15 April 2026