Here are three emerging uses for chatbots in the mental health space, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- A chatbot embedded in Mental Health America’s website to guide people through cognitive reframing was shown to help reduce anxiety among users. These kinds of tools could be useful for patients waiting to see a therapist, or help them cope in between sessions with a therapist.
- Chatbots can help triage patients and guide them to the right resources. An AI tool developed by mental health company Limbic is being used to triage patients in the U.K. The bot provides a 24/7 self-referral process, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- AI-generated algorithms can help train mental-health providers, some experts told the Wall Street Journal. One AI-generated tool, Lyssn, can provide feedback to clinicians from transcripts of clinical sessions.
An AI who acts like a therapist is not likely in the near future, David Mohr, PhD, director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., told the Wall Street Journal.
“There’s still too many ways it can go off the rails,” Dr. Mohr said.
Read the Wall Street Journal’s full report here.
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