Every human generation has a technological invention that changes how people live and thrive. And this decade’s sensation is definitely the buzzword Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Artificial intelligence is rapidly altering and changing the world we live in. AI is quickly changing how the world interacts and lives, from personal assistants like Siri and Alexa to self-driving automobiles, personalized social media feeds, and the new darlings of the Internet – chatbots. But do you know that the use of AI in mental health can bring significant changes in the way we look and care about our mental health too?
Yes!
Artificial intelligence in mental health care can transform and revolutionize the field by incorporating new and specialized diagnosis, treatment, and support tools. From 24×7 chatbots to personalized healthcare plans and advanced algorithms that can predict the very onset of mental illnesses, the use of AI in the mental health ecosystem can become a game-changer in how we approach the field altogether.
Let us dive deeper into the role of AI in mental health and explore the potential possibilities and challenges it can bring to the field.
Understanding The Role Of AI In Mental Health
1. Predicting And Preventing.
As per research by Khan N and team, artificial intelligence was able to detect symptoms of anxiety with 92% accuracy. An essential and revolutionary takeaway from this research is that artificial intelligence can be used in detecting, diagnosing, and identifying anxiety and possibly other mental health issues in the future. Additionally, when combined with existing technologies like mobile phones or smartwatches, it can also prevent the development of mental illnesses in the longer run.
2. Identifying Suicidal Tendencies.
As per research published in Nature Human Behaviour, artificial intelligence could play a defining role in identifying suicidal tendencies and providing timely help to people. In a similar report on Wired, AI was able to sift through the health records of people and flag risks of suicide with 80-90% accuracy.
This data can have practical usage, as shown by social media giant Facebook. Facebook ran a spot and report suicidal behavior program on the platform, which can help detect risks of suicide. If any potentially harmful signs or posts are reported, Facebook sends the required resources to those posting such content. The technology can also flag posts and videos with an urgent or highly dangerous risk to stimulate timely resources. This way, the inclusion of AI in mental healthcare can potentially save lives.
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3. Reduce any form of bias or human error.
AI has proven efficient in detecting and diagnosing mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as per research by Albert Rizzo. Therefore, mental health care providers can use AI during patient intake meetings. Patient intake meetings are the set of formalities that healthcare providers have before starting the treatment.
These meetings are usually brief, and providers who are rushing from one patient to another might not be able to identify the subtle signs of a patient in trouble. In such cases, the AI can help the provider take adequate measures to look deeper to find signs of the issue.
4. Provide Personalized Treatment Plans.
While a set of basic treatment options is laid out clearly for a particular mental health issue, it is important to understand that mental health problems occur on a spectrum. Each person is different, and the type of treatment they can benefit from varies with their individual personality traits. The use of artificial intelligence in mental health can eliminate the trial-and-error process of finding a suitable treatment plan for patients by closely monitoring and studying data.
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5. Expanded Access To People.
While mental health treatments are important, they are far from becoming accessible to the majority of people due to financial and social barriers. Technological advancements can fill this gap by addressing these barriers and making mental healthcare an accessible resource. Affordable AI chatbots offering support, AI therapists, and around-the-clock support between therapy sessions can help patients find important tools for taking charge of their well-being.
Concerns And Implications Of The Use Of AI In Mental Health
While the changes due to AI has been transformational and will become even more powerful in the future, it is essential to note that this change is not without concerns and challenges. The following are the challenges in the path of incorporating artificial intelligence in mental healthcare.
1. The Inability To Understand Diversity In Human Nature.
In order to use AI in mental healthcare, it needs to be equipped with the psychological and neurological functioning of the human mind and emotions. While the possibilities it can offer are great, it is extremely difficult for AI to understand the complexity and diversity in human nature. The AI’s understanding of human behavior and emotions is often a product of the biases of its programmer. Gestures, voice inflections, and modes of expression of emotional discomfort can vary highly in different cultures and societies. It is almost impossible to capture this vastness and feed it into artificial intelligence models without conferring any bias.
2. The Problem Of Privacy.
For any form of AI to be used in mental healthcare, it needs plenty of sensitive patient data. Currently, there are no hard-wired rules of privacy and safeguard for this data. Many AI-based mental health apps do not even state in their agreements that they are using the customers’ emotional response data to monitor them. This gives rise to privacy concerns among users who need to learn about the storage and monitoring of this sensitive data about them.
Conclusion:
AI is changing the world, and technology is definitely here to stay. If used properly, it can prove to be significantly crucial in how the world receives mental healthcare. However, this change has its own set of risks attached to it that need to be acknowledged and addressed before a full-fledged incorporation of AI into mental health.
AI is not the first technological change in mental healthcare. The advent of online therapy platforms has currently revolutionized and changed the field of therapy altogether and added an accessible and affordable dimension to it. To learn more about online therapy platforms, click here.
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