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'Filter of Fantasy': Japan Trials Anime Therapy to Treat Depression
The six-month pilot recruited 20 young adults and used anime avatars to test whether online counselling can ease depression symptoms.
- Yokohama City University psychiatrist Francesco Panto concluded a six-month pilot study using anime avatars for counseling, recruiting 20 participants aged 18 to 29 who received online sessions delivered by psychologists appearing as animated characters with digitally altered voices.
- Japan faces significant mental health barriers, with only 6% of people seeking psychological counseling as of 2022; assistant professor Mio Ishii notes that "anime or technology can decrease" stigmas preventing people from requesting help.
- Panto developed six distinct characters based on Japanese manga archetypes to act as a "filter of fantasy," ranging from a steady "maternal energy" figure brandishing an assault rifle to an emotionally perceptive "prince-like" male wearing a cape.
- University of Seville therapist Jesus Maya said anime during sessions can be "really useful" for facilitating emotional expression; one 24-year-old trial participant reported the character helped them address personal problems they were searching to solve.
- The phase-one trial tracked participants' heart rates and sleep to test whether anime therapy could reduce depression symptoms; Panto is considering whether this "character-based counselling" could eventually be delivered by artificial intelligence without a real psychologist.
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11 Articles
11 Articles
Japan is testing a therapy using depression anime.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources11
Leaning Left2Leaning Right4Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Right
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Right
57% Right
L 29%
14%
R 57%
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