AI in Mental Health - Examples and Benefits

“How do you feel?”

 

“How do you do?”

 

“Why are you sad?”

 

“Tell me more?”

 

As we wrap up an exhausting day or attempt to get through with hard times, we all yearn to have someone who would be there to ask us these questions. But what if that “someone” is a bot or computer program? And what if this concept is not exactly new? 

 

Did you know that interestingly, it all began in the 1960’s when Joseph Weizenbaum, a computer scientist at MIT, invented a computer program called ELIZA. This was a chatbot that searched to pinpoint a keyword in the statement of the user which it could use to rephrase as a question or a statement to respond to them. 

 

In spite of being a simple concept, ELIZA turned out to be immensely successful and intrigued its users far more than Weizenbaum had anticipated. The users ended up sharing intimate life details with ELIZA adapting the program as a therapist of sorts and unloading their deepest thoughts and fears to it.  

 

Designed to interact in the mode of a psychotherapist, ELIZA succeeded in making its users feel like it cared, despite being a mere code. People indulged in lengthy interactions with the bot that largely resembled therapy sessions. 

 

Being among the first computer programs that simulated human interactions, ELIZA had managed to deeply immerse its users, which alarmed Weizenbaum. 

 

Weizenbaum was shocked that the users had found solace and trust in a creation formed through algorithms and circuits. This eventually led him to emerge as an AI critic as he dwelled over the bigger picture of the dominance of machines and their ability to emotionally connect with humans and simulate human comprehension. 

 

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That, however, was just the beginning. In the following years, AI has deeply embedded its roots into the world of mental health, the technology becoming a form of support mechanism for its users. In this blog, we will elaborate some examples of AI’s role in Mental Health. 

 

 

Examples of AI being used for mental health

 

Below we’ve listed some popular mental health care apps which make use of AI for offering mental health relief and care. 

 

 

Ellie

 

Developed by - Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) in Southern California

 

A virtual therapist termed as Ellie has been set up and experimented in Southern California. The chatbot had initially been developed for treating veterans who experienced PTSD and were facing depression.  

 

Far from being a basic chatbot, Ellie can identify non verbal cues like gestures and facial expressions alongside words. The chatbot has been trained to enter encouraging prompts and even nod in approval at the appropriate moments for motivating its patients to open up more. 

 

Capable of reading 60 non-verbal cues a second,  Ellie has been set up for collecting and interpreting multisensory data to help the users. The actions, speech and gestures of the chatbot, simulate those of an actual therapist, yet not fully, which makes it a benefit for the patients that are uneasy regarding therapy. 

 

 

WoeBot

 

Developed by - Stanford psychologist and healthcare designer Dr. Alison Darcy

 

WoeBot, the chatbot, was set up in 2017. This bot makes use of AI for operating cognitive behavioral therapy principles. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an approach adopted to alter the thinking and behavioral patterns of a person and make them healthier.  

 

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Woebot uses natural language processing and cultivated responses for mimicking interactions, keeping track of previous sessions and to offer guidance and advice regarding stress, anxiety and sleep related issues.  

 

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Comprehending the needs and requirements of the user, it can also share various information and resources with them. The data it gathers has enabled the bot to correctly detect and meet emotional requirements, facilitate customized resources and support regarding the concern of the users. 

 

 

Wysa

 

Developed by - Touchkin eServices

 

Inspired by Eliza, Wysa is an AI based bot that essays the role of a virtual coach in the form of a cartoon penguin which helps its users in managing their thoughts and emotions by listening to them and helping them in relieving their stress. 

 

It makes use of cognitive behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing and relaxing approaches like breathing, yoga and meditation for motivating its users to develop mental resilience traits and to help them in feeling better. 

 

Alongside cognitive behavioral therapy, the bot also makes use of dialectical behavioral therapy to achieve its purpose. The user can seek help from Wysa anonymously, although the AI bot gathers the user data as they chat to ensure that it precisely interprets the behavior of the user and what they need. 

 

 

Tess

 

Developed by X2 AI, an AI startup in Silicon Valley

 

Tess is an AI chatbot which offers prompt and customized mental health related care for its users.  This is a psychological AI which interacts with its users through text and offers a customized form of psychotherapy by facilitating health related reminders when asked and whenever the mental health professional is unavailable. 

 

The bot is capable of holding interactions with its user by multiple mediums ranging from Facebook Messenger, SMS, web browsers, as well as smartphone apps.

 

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Tess gathers data via regular messaging which helps it in its goal of offering the best care and guidance to its user.  The bot makes use of cognitive behavioral therapy for suggesting its solutions while keeping track of the user’s goals.

 

 

Youper

 

Developed by - A team of doctors, therapists, and engineers led by Dr. Jose Hamilton

 

Youper is a health assistant bot, which makes use of AI for helping its users to open up about their behaviors, patterns and emotions. The platform indulges in interactions with its users and suggests exercises which can help them in easing their conflict and in dealing with what is bothering them.  

 

Towards the start of their text session, the user is allowed to convey what it needs to the chatbot, which could be anything like tips to help them in dealing with anxiety. The platform gathers data based on the text conversations and offers customized feedback on the basis of the acquired information. 

 

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Youper uses several techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy for offering its services in accordance with the needs of the user. As the conversation concludes the bot offers a summary to help its users in understanding their behavioral patterns and symptoms. 

 

 

Benefits of AI in Mental Health

 

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Benefits of AI in Mental Health

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1. Simulates an in-person experience

 

AI has managed to remove the geographical barriers presented by simulating a smooth and flawless personal experience between the patient and the clinician. The remote monitoring and diagnostic tools powered by AI have become the pathway that allows for an in- person experience and interaction between the two parties, irrespective of where they may be located physically. 

 

 

2. Pinpoints the issue with clarity

 

The AI bots are capable of taking care of all the routine and vital tasks that are generally carried out by the human clinicians for the consultation procedure, such as inquiring the mental health history and symptom details from the patient. 

 

For this, multimedia resources are leveraged by the bot to gauge the body language and the mental state of the patient and to detect any signs of concern or affliction which in turn helps in saving time for the human clinicians. 

 

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3. Makes patients feel more at ease

 

We are often skeptical or embarrassed at the prospect of opening up to a therapist and telling them our problems owing to the fear of being judged or scrutinized, especially when it comes to eyebrow raising topics like sexual activity or drinking. 

 

This issue gets resolved when AI bots are introduced. For many people it's less of a struggle to admit their problems to a bot than to a human listener. They feel more at ease which makes leveraging AI a good advantage. 

 

 

4. Minimizes cost and maximizes access

 

With AI at our service there’s no sole reliance on the accessibility of human clinicians which in turn results in AI powered mental health care minimizing the expenses while easing out the task of treating mental health problems. The concerns of more people are addressed, with lower expenses.

 

 

5. Faster detection

 

From anxiety, depression, stress to PTSD, AI algorithms can identify it all and at a much faster rate, specially when it comes to detecting cases like the authenticity and genuineness of a suicide note. 

 

Incorporating AI also helps in minimizing the waiting or stand by period for appointments while also easing out the burden extended towards lengthy mental health care and services. 

 

 

6. Back the therapists in their tasks

 

“AI could be an effective way for clinicians to make the best of the time they have with patients,” 

- Peter Foltz, a research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder

 

Since AI can interpret and keep tabs on massive sections of data swiftly and faster than humans, they offer precise diagnosis and can make note of the symptoms and condition of the patient at the early stage and notify the therapists to help them in drafting their treatment strategy. This makes it a huge advantage for the therapists as well as the patients. 

 

 

Conclusion

 

While we can’t ignore the edge that employing AI offers to the mental health sector, the drawbacks need to be kept in mind too which include technical glitches and the fact that these bots follow a determined script and don’t have their own mind owing to which they may often fail to comprehend the user and their intentions. It remains to be seen how leveraging AI shapes up the world of mental health in the future.