Therapy Chatbots are Transforming Psychology
Chatbots are having a significant impact on numerous fields — especially the psychology sector. Developers caution these tech tools aren’t a replacement for human interactions with experts, but it’s already clear chatbots are an always-available resource — which isn’t the case for human health practitioners.
Chatbots Can Help Teach Users Tried-and-Trusted Psychological Practices
One notable benefit of chatbots is that engineers can program them to implement techniques widely accepted as advantageous in the psychological field. For example, Woebot is a chatbot that uses cognitive behavioral therapy strategies to help users manage symptoms of anxiety and depression.
And, Woebot really works. In a study comparing people who interacted with Woebot 12 times over two weeks with a group of individuals who read a self-help book, those who used Woebot had reductions in their symptoms, but there was no apparent change in the other group.
The Woebot study shows today’s chatbots can supplement the same principles patients learn in psychologists’ offices. People who use this technology could theoretically have fewer difficult moments outside of therapy sessions because a chatbot is available 24/7 and ready to listen.
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They May Encourage People to Seek Treatment Sooner
Even when individuals have access to mental health assistance in their areas, they may delay taking advantage of the services for many reasons. They might fear judgment from therapists or people they know. Or, individuals may assume everyone goes through the emotions they’re experiencing, and think their feelings aren’t severe enough to warrant treatment.
A chatbot called Wysa — which is designed to look like a cute penguin — could reduce avoidant behaviors that could cause a downturn in mental health. It features a mood tracker and can detect if you’re feeling down. In that case, Wysa prompts you to take a depression test and may recommend seeking professional help, depending on the results.
The way Wysa documents mood changes over time could also make mental shifts more obvious and promote more proactivity in getting to the root of the cause. People often don’t realize how all-encompassing and long-lasting their mental health symptoms are, but Wysa could highlight that information and make individuals realize it’s time to take decisive action.
Chatbots Could Contribute to More Diagnostic Successes
People who are leading authorities in their industries, such as motivational speakers, often discuss their struggles and successes to an audience in an effort to make their followers feel better. In contrast, psychologists must review patient histories, ask questions and make suggestions, all in the effort to make diagnoses. Though motivational speakers are a great resource for advice, psychologists aim to holistically treat an individual based on their personal experiences.
Despite those efforts, they don’t always reach the correct conclusions, which is frustrating for patients and practitioners alike. Evidence suggests, though, that analyzing social media content could help improve success rates. Ongoing research involving artificial intelligence and social media aims to make online experiences more personalized and productive for users.
Furthermore, scientists designed an algorithm that analyzed Instagram posts and could correctly use the associated data to diagnose depression 70 percent of the time, whereas doctors only did so in 42 percent of patients.
Consider psychologists might not always ask all the right questions when diagnosing patients. Similarly, patients may not think to mention characteristics about themselves that could be clear warning signs of illness. A chatbot could evaluate the revelations a user provides over time and use them to alert mental health practitioners of things that lead to more effective and appropriate treatments.
Chatbots Could Address Mental Health Professional Shortages
A definite advantage of the Internet is that it gives people access to information and services that may not be readily available in their areas. The same is potentially true of chatbots, due to the way they could help reduce the problems associated with a lack of mental health care access in rural areas. There are not enough mental health experts to care for all the people who need them, which means some individuals fall through the cracks.
Statistics indicate more than 106 million Americans live in areas federally designated as having mental health care shortages, hence the need for a solution. Also, people without nearby access to mental health professionals may not be able to easily drive to another town to get help. If they can’t, chatbots could provide them with strategies to start feeling better. Some even alert mental health professionals if a user shows suicidal tendencies.
Modern chatbots are already highly advanced. As for future versions, expect them to pick up on people’s emotions better than ever, thanks to advanced sentiment analysis algorithms in the works. They won’t replace therapists anytime soon, but these bots are already helping mental health workers do their jobs better.
