The arrival of AI mental health: Are you ready?

The landscape of mental health treatment is about to change. artificial intelligence (AI-Mental Health). Whether you are a mental health provider or someone interested in mental health services, AI is changing the way treatment is delivered, the patient-centered care options available to consumers, and how the benefits of treatment are evaluated. is changing. Here’s a quick glimpse of this future that is already emerging.

In the age of AI and mental health, people will soon be able to:^1-2:

1. Demographic characteristics, voice, and even personality AI mental health therapist.
2. Reduce the cost of mental health care because you can enjoy more democratized treatment (e.g., a subscription plan instead of $150 per hour) treatment ), portability, and 24/7 access to AI mental health therapists.
3. Reduce anxiety about mental health treatment stigma By using AI instead of human therapists,
4. If necessary, add AI capabilities to help people make positive changes during treatment sessions, rather than replacing human mental health therapists (i.e., AI-assisted mental health care). These features could include AI-generated summaries of therapy sessions, using AI to generate therapy content, get help and reminders about goals, increase accountability, and more. motivation days between treatment sessions.

Meanwhile, mental health providers can expect:^3-4:

1. Consumers seeking post-treatment maintenance treatment or less severe mental health symptoms, e.g. stress management and health coaching versus major depressive disorder).
2. Improve the quality and experience of mental health treatment by providing AI tools that bridge the gap between sessions. self-help Tools, reminders, and therapy exercises.
3. Increase the ability to monitor patients’ mental health symptoms and provide rapid information and self-help support to patients with increased symptoms.
4. Collect session-to-session feedback from patients to help personalize and adjust treatment.

The future described above is neither imaginary nor far away. In fact, the first phase of this era of AI mental health treatment is already here in the form of a growing number of AI mental health apps and startups.

Currently, consumers can interact with AI mental health tools primarily through smartphone apps or computers. However, these formats have the potential to be expanded to include 1) AI mental health features in smart wearables (e.g., Apple Watch with AI mental health features that monitor mood through skin conductance and heart rate variability); There is. 2) Virtual reality headsets that use generative AI to create relaxation experiences and graded exposure exercises. 3) AI-enhanced smart beds (e.g., the Eight Sleep smart bed, which combines sleep monitoring technology with AI features to generate therapeutically personalized music, stories, and sounds); insomnia); and 4) Automobiles (e.g. car seats and steering wheels monitor stress levels and use AI to provide self-help interventions, information, or generative music and video content to reduce driving stress and road can) rage symptoms).

Even the technology we hate the most, like the dreaded scale, can potentially become a source of motivation, personal growth, and learning when enhanced with the right AI capabilities. And the list above doesn’t even include some of the most promising AI mental health applications of all: Personalized AI pet And a robot.

The potential of AI confronts the dangers of AI

The promise and benefits of AI mental health are, of course, full of small details. For example, for many people, interacting with AI in any way will be anathema for their mental health. Perhaps even frightening. And the technological wonders of AI in mental health still reflect legitimate concerns about data privacy, bad advice, and inaccurate information (“AI hallucinations”). loneliness social disconnection and even fear addiction (Please watch the movie she We’ve seen it happen in AI-related dystopias (examples). social media.

Finally, it is important to recognize that AI mental health is not yet ready to replace all aspects of human therapists. Rather, AI mental health is best equipped in the near term to assist with the technical aspects of mental health treatment. This includes providing evidence-based treatment protocols and sharing with experts. education Information resources that provide real-time, immediate feedback and collect data on symptoms and treatment effectiveness.

These “technical” aspects of treatment are more likely to be replicated by AI mental health, such as trust, connection, rapport, and other “non-specific” qualities that research has shown to be very important. Complemented by the “relational” aspects of slow treatment. Achieving excellent mental health care.

Will AI mental health be able to develop a bedside manner that matches its unparalleled knowledge and procedural ability? Time will tell. And you may not have to wait long.