The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) may seem new, but it has been expanding for decades. AI has made its way into many aspects of our lives, from self-driving cars to smart homes. These developments are exciting, but as the mental health field introduces advancing technologies in AI therapy, we must be ready to address the challenges and ethical concerns ahead.
What Is AI Therapy?
AI therapy is a type of Virtual Mental Health Treatment that involves using artificial intelligence to receive real-time support for concerns like depression, anxiety, and grief. Users can talk about anything while the computer analyzes their feelings, tracks their mood, and offers thoughtful responses.
AI therapy can be accessed through chatbots, virtual therapists, or apps. Depending on the user’s struggles, the computer might ask follow-up questions, give advice, or recommend they seek in-person support.
Telehealth: AI Therapy vs. Virtual Therapy
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has become a popular way to receive mental health support. Behavioral Telehealth services allow people to talk to therapists, psychiatrists, and other professionals remotely. Within the telehealth network, AI therapy and virtual therapy have emerged, providing unique options for getting mental health care.
AI Therapy
AI therapy is entirely computer-based, meaning it can be accessed from anywhere at any time. There’s no need to speak to a real person and it’s often free. Many people prefer AI therapy over virtual therapy, and who can blame them? While a therapist may give you a strange look when you show up to sessions in your PJs, a bot won’t ever judge.
Virtual Therapy
Virtual therapy involves real humans providing mental health services. People using virtual therapy will still need to find a therapist who’s the right fit (and takes their insurance), schedule appointments, and speak with someone face-to-face. To learn more about virtual therapy options available to you, visit RU Mental Health.
How AI Is Changing Mental Health Care
The world is facing a mental health crisis, with one in five people struggling with mental illness, but 75% not receiving support. Whether out of convenience, desperation, or a sincere belief in its effectiveness, AI has become a powerful resource in the mental health field.
Clinicians have started using AI to manage tasks like scheduling appointments, taking notes, and tracking clients’ symptoms. This allows them to focus more on their clients than administrative responsibilities, with scholars deeming AI a “supercharged secretary” for mental health professionals.
AI is also helping clients with homework assigned by therapists outside of sessions, making sure these tasks are engaging and personalized. This makes the assignments more effective and, consequently, therapy more beneficial. While humans need breaks, chatbots can offer immediate support to clients between sessions, providing a safety net for people needing timely help.
AI can also analyze therapy sessions to identify the efficacy of the therapeutic techniques being used, increasing the quality of care provided. Predictive analytics allow AI to find patterns in client data, helping therapists predict mental health crises and intervene early on.
Psychologist Johannes Eichstaedt urges the clinical community to recognize and responsibly use AI, stating, “We need the clinical community to wake up and embrace responsibility of these technologies. It would be easy to dismiss how good they are, how quickly they bake themselves into pillars of society, until it’s too late.”
The Impact of AI Therapy in the Mental Health Field
AI has its hands (er, algorithms) in an increasing number of areas in mental health care, changing how care is delivered and received. This shift has brought about benefits as well as challenges.
Benefits
AI therapy has become increasingly popular, likely due to advantages like these:
- Accessibility: AI therapy can be accessed from anywhere, whether you live in a remote area or you’re traveling. You don’t have to drive to an office or take time off from work for appointments. Instead, you can get help whenever it’s convenient.
- Cost-Effectiveness: With AI therapy, there’s usually no need to worry about insurance. Many apps and platforms are even completely free, allowing people to get help without the barrier of affordability standing in their way.
- Availability: Unlike virtual therapists, AI bots are there 24/7, offering support and guidance no matter the time.
- Privacy: For the average person, confiding in a stranger about their deepest darkest secrets and fears is intimidating. Talking to an AI bot means the fear of judgement is removed.
- Far Reach: AI can help a lot of people at once, which is crucial given the shortage of mental health professionals and the ongoing mental health crisis.
Consequences
At first glance, AI therapy seems to offer solutions for every issue that arises. However, some of the potential consequences that need to be considered include:
- Reliance on Technology: Technology can be unpredictable, and if users lose their Internet connection, they’re left without any support.
- Lack of Empathy: Try as they may, AI therapy cannot full mimic the experience of speaking with a real human. Bots can’t understand or feel emotions, which may lead them to give advice or ask questions that are insensitive or inaccurate.
- Ethical Concerns: AI therapy has several ethical concerns, including biases in algorithms that may lead to discriminatory advice that doesn’t acknowledge the user’s race or disability status. There’s no accountability when bots make mistakes, and as people become more dependent on AI therapy, it could take away the human connection vital to effective mental health treatment. Users also risk having their sensitive health information compromised or shared without their permission.
- No Regulations: Mental health professionals are held to strict standards and undergo ongoing training like taking continuing education units (CEUs). There are no standardized regulations for AI therapy, meaning the quality of services they provide vary and may border on being unsafe.
At the end of the day, an AI bot still isn’t human, and it can be easy for them to mess up. Once trust has been broken, people may not want to try AI therapy again.
The Effectiveness of AI Therapy
Andrew Blackwell, chief scientific officer at Ieso, has seen promising results from using AI. Ieso’s recovery rate for depression stands at 62%, compared to the national average of 50%. It also boasts a 73% recovery rate for generalized anxiety disorder, compared to 58% nationally. Still, Blackwell claims “There is a dangerous amount of hype” surrounding AI, stressing that its purpose is to improve the care that human therapists provide, not replace them.
Sometimes, AI has the opposite intended effect on users. Reports show that using AI for therapy has led to serious problems, including suicide and other dangers. Inconsistency in the mental health field can be detrimental, especially for people who need stable and reliable support to stay mentally healthy.
This is why ongoing research into AI therapy is crucial to ensure its safety and efficacy. Those who develop AI-based tools must understand their risks and create guidelines and regulations to protect people using these services.
The Future of AI Therapy
Despite potential downsides, AI therapy shows no signs of slowing down, continuing to shape the mental health field. As noted by licensed psychologist Jessica Jackson, “A lot of people get resistant, but this is something we can’t control. It’s happening whether we want it to or not. If we’re thoughtful and strategic about how we integrate AI, we can have a real impact on lives around the world.”
According to a recent MIT Technology Review article, one of the latest innovations in AI therapy involves using natural-language processing (NLP), which teaches bots to offer more human-like advice in therapy. This technology allows AI to pick up on cues in a patient’s language, tone, and emotions, tailoring its responses to better support the individual.
Research from Stanford shows another promising aspect of AI in mental health care: its ability to conduct large-scale trials. These trials involve a high number of patients and several different treatment approaches, something that would be difficult to achieve with human therapists alone. As data is gathered from these studies, it could lead to better outcomes in mental health care, creating more effective treatments.
Looking Ahead
As AI continues to shape the future of mental health care, it’s important to be aware of its potential upsides and challenges. While AI promises to expand the reach of therapeutic services, it also brings concerns that need to be monitored.
Smriti Joshi, chief psychologist at Wysa, stresses the need for safely integrating AI in mental health care, stating, “AI will never fully replace humans, but it may require us to increase our awareness and educate ourselves about how to leverage it safely. If we do that, AI can up the game for psychology in so many ways.”
To ensure AI is used ethically and effectively in mental health care, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers will need to work together. Their collaboration will help establish AI as a tool that’s beneficial, safe, and reliable for everyone who’d like to give it a try.
