Psychiatrists' Views on Robot-Assisted Diagnostics of Peripartum Depression

Social robots are rising to prominence as tools in healthcare and mental healthcare. In this paper, we investigate robot-assisted diagnostics of peripartum depression (PPD) in women. To design robots that are accepted by users and comply with trustworthy Artificial Intelligence principles, we use semi-structured interviews to explore the views of potential stakeholders - psychiatrists. We aim to answer three research questions regarding 1) the usefulness of robots in the diagnosis of PPD, 2) potential ethical issues, and 3) the roles that robots and clinicians may play in the diagnostic process. Results show that psychiatrists are only willing to let robots take minor responsibilities, and feel that robots may be more useful in situations where there is a shortage of clinicians.