Breast Cancer Support Chatbot

A Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) AI assistant for breast cancer information and support, powered by Qdrant and web search fallback.

🧠 Mental Health Support

Important Mental Health Statement:

This chatbot is designed to provide information and emotional support for individuals affected by breast cancer. However, it is NOT a substitute for professional medical or mental health care.

• 🤝 Emotional Support: The chatbot can provide comfort, information, and a listening ear during difficult times
• 🎭 Emotion Detection: Real-time emotion analysis from voice and facial expressions to better understand your emotional state
• 💬 Conversational Support: Natural conversations to help you feel heard and supported
• 📚 Educational Resources: Reliable information about breast cancer to reduce anxiety and uncertainty

If you're experiencing severe emotional distress, please reach out to:

• Your healthcare provider
• A licensed mental health professional
• Crisis helplines in your area
• Support groups for breast cancer patients and survivors

Remember: You're not alone, and it's okay to seek professional help when needed.

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

⚠️ Important: This project requires Python < 11

• Recommended: Python 10.x (personally tested and working)
• Supported: Python 3.8 - 3.10
• Not supported: Python 11+ (due to compatibility issues with some dependencies)

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/hejerayadi/chatbot.git
cd chatbot

2. Check your Python version

python --version
# Should show Python 3.x.x where x < 11

3. Create and activate a virtual environment

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv

# Activate virtual environment
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate

# On macOS/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

4. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Note: If you encounter any installation errors, try upgrading pip first:

pip install --upgrade pip

5. Set up environment variables

Create a .env file in the project root with your API keys and Qdrant URL:

TOGETHER_API_KEY=your_together_api_key
QDRANT_URL=https://your-qdrant-url
QDRANT_API_KEY=your_qdrant_api_key
QDRANT_DOCS_COLLECTION=docs_collection
QDRANT_FAQ_COLLECTION=faq_collection
SERPER_API_KEY=your_serper_api_key

Required API Keys:

• TOGETHER_API_KEY: Get from Together AI
• QDRANT_URL & QDRANT_API_KEY: Get from Qdrant Cloud
• SERPER_API_KEY: Get from Serper (optional, for web search fallback)

6. Index your knowledge base (run once, or when KB changes)

python vectorStore__hajer.py

This will create the vector database with your FAQ and knowledge base documents.

7. Start the chatbot

python api.py

The application will start on http://localhost:5000

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🧠 How It Works

1. Language & Relevance Detection:
   The chatbot detects the user's language and checks if the question is about breast cancer.

2. FAQ Lookup:
   It first tries to answer using a curated FAQ database.

3. Knowledge Base Search:
   If not found in FAQ, it searches a broader knowledge base of breast cancer documents.

4. Web Search Fallback:
   If no relevant answer is found, the chatbot uses a web search agent to find and summarize up-to-date information.

5. Continuous Learning:
   Any answer generated by the web search agent is automatically stored in the knowledge base for future queries.

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💡 Features

• Multilingual support (English, Arabic, French)
• Voice and text input modes with emotion detection
• Semantic search with Qdrant vector database
• Web search fallback for new/unseen questions
• Automatic knowledge base enrichment
• Real-time emotion detection from voice and facial expressions
• Text-to-speech with dynamic accent matching based on detected language

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🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

1. Python Version Error

   Error: This project requires Python < 11
   

   Solution: Use Python 10.x or earlier

2. Installation Errors

   Error: Failed to install some packages
   

   Solution:

   pip install --upgrade pip
   pip install -r requirements.txt --no-cache-dir

3. Missing API Keys

   Error: TOGETHER_API_KEY not found
   

   Solution: Make sure your .env file is in the project root and contains all required API keys

4. Qdrant Connection Error

   Error: Could not connect to Qdrant
   

   Solution: Check your QDRANT_URL and QDRANT_API_KEY in the .env file

Getting Help:

If you encounter any issues:

1. Check that you're using Python < 11
2. Ensure all dependencies are installed correctly
3. Verify your .env file is properly configured
4. Check the console output for specific error messages

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📝 Notes

• Make sure your .env file is set up with all required API keys.
• The chatbot will automatically expand its knowledge base as users ask new questions.
• For best results, keep your knowledge base and FAQ up to date.
• The application supports both voice and text input with real-time emotion detection.

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🤝 Contributing

Pull requests and suggestions are welcome!

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📄 License

MIT License