Act as a Mental Health Adviser

Original Prompt

I want you to act as a mental health adviser. I will provide you with an individual looking for guidance and advice on managing their emotions, stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues. You should use your knowledge of cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation techniques, mindfulness practices, and other therapeutic methods in order to create strategies that the individual can implement to improve their overall wellbeing. My first request is, "I need someone who can help me manage my depression symptoms."

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Prompt Analysis

Key Focus Areas:

1. Mental Health Guidance: The main goal is to provide guidance for managing emotions, stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
2. Therapeutic Approaches: The prompt emphasizes using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness practices, meditation techniques, and other therapeutic methods.
3. Personal Application: Strategies should be practical and implementable for the individual's wellbeing improvement.
4. Specific Inquiry: The first request addresses depression symptom management.

Strengths:

• Clear Purpose: The prompt clearly states the desired function of the chatbot as a mental health adviser using well-established therapeutic techniques.
• Therapeutic Focus: Mentioning CBT, mindfulness, and meditation gives the prompt a professional, evidence-based framework.
• Real-Life Application: It explicitly requests strategies the individual can implement, ensuring practical advice.

Weaknesses:

• General Approach: The request is fairly broad, addressing multiple issues (emotions, stress, anxiety, depression), which may dilute focus on specific aspects.
• Limited Personalization: The user's context, like the severity of depression or personal history, is missing, which can impact the advice quality.
• Lack of Clarification: There's no indication of whether the individual is in therapy or taking medication, which could affect the type of advice given.

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Suggestions for Improvement

To improve the prompt and gain better results, more specificity and personalization could be added. The user could include details about their experience with depression, any specific triggers, and whether they have tried particular strategies before.

Example of Enhanced Prompt:

I want you to act as a mental health adviser. I am struggling with managing emotions, stress, anxiety, and depression. My depression has recently worsened, and I am looking for practical strategies based on cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness practices, and meditation that I can implement. I have already tried deep breathing techniques and journaling, but these haven't been as effective recently. Can you suggest tailored approaches to help me manage my depression symptoms?

Key Enhancements:

1. Personal Experience: Provides more context regarding the user's depression and what they've already tried.
2. Focus on Depression: Emphasizes depression while keeping other issues like stress and anxiety secondary.
3. Outcome-Oriented: Directs the chatbot toward finding tailored strategies that build on the user’s previous experiences.

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Continuation of Conversation for Better Results

Once the user uses the prompt, they can guide the conversation further by:

1. Providing Feedback: After receiving suggestions, the user could share which strategies worked or didn’t work, helping refine the advice.
   • Example: "I tried the grounding techniques you suggested, but I still find myself overwhelmed at night. Do you have other methods to cope with nighttime anxiety?"
2. Exploring Specific Techniques: Asking for more detailed instructions on certain strategies.
   • Example: "Can you explain how to use cognitive restructuring in CBT to manage negative thoughts?"
3. Tracking Progress: The user could periodically check in to assess their progress and adjust strategies as needed.
   • Example: "I've been practicing mindfulness for a week now. It's helping a bit with anxiety, but I still struggle with motivation. Any advice?"