Her, a popular 2013 Hollywood science fiction film, tells the story of a man who hits a rough patch after a divorce and later develops an emotional relationship with an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant. – Sam. The film makes one wonder if and how AI can help people struggling with mental well-being.
Research published in the scientific journal Pervasive and Mobile Computing revealed that AI can detect mental health symptoms with more than 90% accuracy. The research, based on a study with ten adult participants, used motion sensors to identify behavioral signs of anxiety.
India currently has around 300 mental wellness startups. For example, Wysa offers a safe space for people struggling with mental health issues. Powered by artificial intelligence, the app promises to be “loyal, supportive, and very private,” encouraging users to disclose their feelings about major events or big changes in their lives. The chatbot uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand and classify conversations, and then responds with compassionate solutions framed by therapists.
Similarly, another startup, YourDost, uses AI to cater to mental wellbeing, offering affordable audio chats.
From a technology perspective, Google LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) attempts to go beyond modern conversational agents (chatbots) to engage in seamless conversations on a seemingly infinite number of topics and has the potential to mimic natural forms of communication with technology in the near future. Additionally, GPT-3 is being used as a tool for cognitive psychology to gain insights from human conservations with the goal of improving people’s mental health outcomes. For example, kokocares.org uses GPT-3 to help people enable peer support services.
But can AI really help?
Recently, Shreya (name changed), a 29-year-old techie from Bangalore, committed suicide after battling depression for the past few years. Meanwhile, a 45-year-old software professional killed his young son and attempted suicide in the face of mounting debts. They were among many who took the drastic step after months, if not years, of suffering from mental health issues.
The recent wave of layoffs and layoffs by companies is also pushing many into depression and paranoia. Avinash (name changed): An employee at a major tech company in Bangalore that recently experienced a wave of mass layoffs has been suffering from anxiety for the past few months. Anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and poor work-life balance are some of the many issues that affect an individual’s mental health.
What psychologists say
Mental health professionals and clinical psychologists agree that technology can be an enabler to receiving support, but it cannot be a solution, and when it comes to mental health, person-to-person interaction is key.
Abhishek Bapu, a mental health professional who provides counseling services at the Samadhana Counseling Center in Bangalore, said: “Human interaction is the answer to addressing mental health problems. Technology can help identify symptoms related to a condition, but if it is triggered by an underlying cause or event, only a mental health professional can effectively identify and address it.”
Another Bangalore-based psychologist, Gayatri Sen, says “AI can make it easier to diagnose symptoms and connect to available resources, but when it comes to seeking help, one really needs to contact a doctor.”
Experts believe that while there are plenty of easy-to-use apps for monitoring and promoting mental well-being, there isn’t much data on their effectiveness. This is more because there are no checklists or rules for choosing a mental wellness app. They add that many of these apps don’t even have peer-reviewed research to back up their claims and it’s rare for an app to undergo a randomized, controlled research trial to prove effectiveness.
According to a 2015 ASSOCHAM report, one in two Indian employees suffer from chronic stress and 60% do not show any symptoms, while a whopping 90% do not seek any treatment.
As research on the use of AI in mental health is still in its early stages, experts suggest that when considering the role of AI in medicine, it is very important to perform a thorough risk-benefit analysis in a specific application and whether the benefits can be enhanced. replicated in the real world.
AI has enormous potential to facilitate mental wellbeing, especially with the widespread use of smartphones. The tools, if well designed and in collaboration with medical professionals, can actually facilitate early detection and evaluation and even suggest treatment options.
