Several torch-bearing health organisations have warned against the rise of a global mental health crisis, with alarming statistics of people struggling with depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness among other issues. The role of mental health professionals (MHPs), including clinicians, therapists, and social workers, is pivotal in mitigating the harmful effects of this crisis and helping people deal with the debilitating effects of developing a psychiatric disorder. Unfortunately, the existing mental health force is barely adequate to meet the surging demands of those who require professional help. Fortunately, Artificial Intelligence (AI) therapists are here to help fill the gaps.
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AI Therapy: the Whats and Hows
Artificial intelligence (AI) therapy is the all-encompassing use of data to support individuals on their path to mental health. Through automated conversations and therapeutic activities, AI-powered therapists, often known as therapy chatbots, offer mental health assistance on a wide range of topics, like mild depression, anxiety, loneliness, and other health concerns. Some AI chatbots also have built-in mechanisms to record health biomarkers and track mood. Made to replicate human interactions, the bots ask questions, offer empathy, and suggest coping strategies and available treatment options.
As for the tech mechanism underlying AI chatbots, machine-learning algorithms are employed to simulate a therapeutic interaction between a user and the bot. Most chatbots use Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to understand and interpret the user’s input by breaking down the message into components such as keywords, intent, and context. Machine learning models are trained on large datasets of conversational examples using which the AI Assistant selects the appropriate response. Typically, these chatbots can learn from each user interaction to improve their responses over time.
Why Are People Turning to AI Therapists?
It’s a pre-established fact that the demand for professional mental health care far outweighs the supply. In most Indian government hospitals, for example, long queues of patients fill waiting rooms and corridors, awaiting a consultation. Private treatment is costly and often unaffordable for people from rural and marginalised communities, who make up one of the largest demographics struggling with mental health concerns in India. AI, on the other hand, is quick and efficient. Why worry about hospital wait times, long queues, and delayed follow-up visits when a AI Assistant can answer your questions within a few seconds? AI therapists are perpetually available, 24x7, literally a click away. Some people dealing with mental health issues might feel reluctant to approach clinicians for fear of judgment, social stigma, or other reservations. In such cases, trying out their hand with AI therapy can act as a safe and comfortable space to address their concerns, and later encourage them to seek professional help in case of serious psychological issues, like eating disorders or suicide risk.
Chatbots are designed in a way that provides users with support and assistance in a conversational, friendly way. Over a series of interactions, the bot modifies its response patterns to align with an individual’s specific communication preferences, concerns, and goals. The easy customisation and personalisation of user-bot interactions helps individuals feel more engaged with the chatbot. Several users of mental wellness and therapy apps have admitted that an AI therapy AI Assistant can be a “dear companion” – one that offers emotional support, encouragement, care, and comfort in situations where turning to real people is difficult.
Be Cautious! Some Challenges and Concerns
While AI can help lift the clinician shortage in mental health care, there are some challenges and risks associated with completely embracing it as a tool. For one, AI therapists can never replace real, human therapists. This is because AI therapists lack the emotional intelligence and sophisticated knowledge that come with being educated mental health experts with years of training and experience under their belt. While therapy chatbots are programmed to offer empathetic responses, they can hardly form real, mutual relationships with clients, which are a vital component of therapy. Some researchers warn that AI chatbots might provide users with incorrect, biased, or harmful guidance because they are powered by generative AI, thereby making them difficult to assess for clinical validity and accuracy.
An Opportunity for Collaboration
Despite these concerns – which pervade all fields that have begun to make use of AI – it is clear that artificial intelligence is the future. To keep mental health entirely isolated from the influence of AI would be naive at best and elitist at worst. Because, if used wisely and ethically, AI therapy chatbots can help mitigate the effects of the mental health crisis. AI therapy can be used to supplement therapists in assisting clients, offering them a space for reflection, practicing coping skills, or reinforcing therapy exercises discussed during sessions. Before individuals approach therapists, chatbots can psychoeducate users about mental disorders, coping skills, and the various types of therapeutic modalities (like behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy, narrative therapy, etc) can be sought. In cases of emergency when access to human therapists is blocked, AI therapists can provide immediate support and guidance for crisis intervention.
Ethical Concerns
In conventional therapy, client confidentiality is held in the highest regard. Barring some exceptions, therapists are required to keep whatever their patients tell them confidential and private, or they can face serious penalties – even losing their license. Chatbots should be held to the same rigorous standards, wherein any violations may be subject to digital and health data privacy laws. Therefore, explicit user consent is essential, and so is a legally-backed assurance of user data protection and security.
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Conclusion
It is clear now that AI-assisted therapy chatbots are gaining popularity thanks to their constant availability, affordability, personalisation, and ease of use. Keeping their risks and challenges in mind, the future of mental health care will likely see a collaborative approach, combining the strengths of human and AI therapists to offer the best patient care and treatment. With rapid advancements in AI and mental health, we are likely to see the use of AI in diagnosing mental illnesses and providing pharmacological and therapeutic treatment. In research as well, large databases from diverse user populations can be analysed to assess the effectiveness of AI therapy apps on user mental health and wellness. Most importantly, due to the potentially harmful consequences of misusing AI, clinicians, healthcare providers, and researchers must step up to steer the wheel and ensure AI therapy is used for the better.
