Her, a popular science-fiction Hollywood film released in 2013, depicts the tale of a guy going through a tough patch after his divorce, who subsequently develops an emotional bond with an AI-powered virtual assistant named Sam. The film makes you wonder if and how artificial intelligence might aid those who are battling mental health.
According to a study published in the scientific journal Pervasive and Mobile Computing, AI can detect mental health indicators with greater than 90% accuracy. The study, which included 10 adult volunteers, employed motion sensors to detect behavioral symptoms of anxiousness.
There are now over 300 mental wellness startups in India. Wysa, for example, provides a safe area for persons dealing with mental health concerns. The software, which is powered by artificial intelligence, claims to be “faithful, supportive, and highly private,” and invites users to share their emotions about momentous events or huge changes in their life. The chatbot understands and classifies talks using natural language processing (NLP), and then answers with compassionate solutions defined by therapists.
Similarly, another firm, YourDost, employs AI to cater to mental wellbeing by offering low-cost audio conversations.
From a technological standpoint, Google’s LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) seeks to go beyond modern conversational agents (chatbots) in order to engage in free-flowing conversations on an apparently infinite number of topics, and has the potential to mimic natural ways of communication with technology in the near future. GPT-3 is also being utilized as a cognitive psychology tool to gain insights from human conservations in order to enhance people’s mental health outcomes. Kokocares.org, for example, employs GPT-3 to help users implement peer-to-peer assistance services.
Can AI, really be helpful?
Shreya (name changed), a 29-year-old Bangalore engineer, committed herself after fighting depression for several years. Meanwhile, a 45-year-old software developer murdered his kid and tried suicide due to growing debts. They were among many who took the dramatic move after suffering from poor mental health for months, if not years. Shreya (name changed), a 29-year-old Bangalore engineer, committed herself after fighting depression for several years. Meanwhile, a 45-year-old software developer murdered his kid and tried suicide due to growing debts. They were among many who took the dramatic move after suffering from poor mental health for months, if not years.
Many people are depressed and paranoid as a result of the recent wave of mass layoffs and firings by corporations. Avinash (name changed) – an employee at a famous Bangalore software firm that just experienced a wave of huge layoffs – has been suffering from anxiety for several months. Anxiety, sadness, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a poor work-life balance are just a few of the numerous concerns that can influence a person’s mental health.
What psychologists have to say
Mental health specialists and clinical psychologists believe that technology may facilitate receiving help but cannot be a solution, and that human-to-human connection is essential in mental health.
“Human interaction is the key to managing mental health difficulties,” said Abhishek Bapu, a mental health specialist who provides counseling services at the Samadhana Counselling Centre in Bangalore. Although technology can assist in identifying symptoms of a disorder, if they are caused by an underlying cause or incident, they can only be successfully detected and managed by a mental health expert.” Gayatri Sen, a Bangalore-based psychologist, argues that “AI can facilitate detecting symptoms and link to relevant services, but when it comes to seeking treatment, one must truly reach out to a physician.”
According to experts, while there are a plethora of user-friendly applications to monitor and enhance mental well-being, there is little data on their usefulness. This is especially true because there are no checklists or standards for selecting a mental-health application. They note that many of these applications lack peer-reviewed research to back up their claims, and it is uncommon for an app to go through a randomized and controlled research study to assess its usefulness.
According to an ASSOCHAM 2015 research, one in every two Indian employees suffers from chronic stress, with 60% showing no symptoms and a staggering 90% refusing treatment. Experts advise that, while research on the use of AI in mental health is still in its early stages when evaluating the role of AI in medicine, it is critical to do a comprehensive risk-benefit analysis on specific applications and if the advantages can be repeated in the real world.
AI has enormous promise for improving mental health, especially given the widespread usage of smartphones. If properly designed and developed in partnership with medical specialists, the tools can really aid in early identification and evaluation, as well as recommend treatment alternatives.
Author- Toshank Bhardwaj, AI Content Creator
