Would you confide in an AI therapist? It could be faster and cheaper. Our reporter MKTWBurton dives into artificial intelligence and mental health for our Best New Ideas in Health Care series:
“Alexa, I’m depressed.” The idea that a tabletop virtual assistant such as Alexa or Siri knows or cares how you’re feeling sounds straight out of some neurotic comedy. Today, at least.
As mental disorders rise — the cost to the global economy is projected to be $16 trillion over the next decade, according to the Lancet Commission — caring for patients with precision is a Holy Grail for mental-health professionals. Current diagnosis and treatment methods, while skilled and insightful, cannot fully capture the unique needs and complexity of every patient — not without time, money and a willingness that many people simply do not have.
Encouraging outcomes are also apparent from smartphone-based “chatbots” that use AI to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which can help emotionally troubled people build life skills and self-compassion. CBT is a proven way to treat depression, and CBT-based chatbots, or “conversational agents” — which simulate human conversation through voice and text — have been shown to reduce depressive episodes in users after just two weeks of daily interaction.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to treatment is an age-old cultural stigma about mental illness and therapy. The irony is that while mental disorders now are more out in the open, privately many patients and their families carry shame and embarrassment about it. Add financial constraints and lack of health insurance for some, and it’s clear why many people who need psychological counseling go untreated.
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