Since “Adam and Eve,”  the human mind has come so far, from developing languages to calculating the mass of entire planets. Within this evolution, the mind has gone through challenges and hardships, and Mental Health was never discussed until the 20th Century. The recent evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has shaken the world, changing the way many things are practiced. Within the mental health sector, AI has made mental health resources more accessible through AI therapists and the ability to have more information within seconds at your fingertips. We have been introduced to an evolving world.

                                AI Therapists

With new resources like Chat GPT, Earkick, Woebot, and many others, a new door is opened, a door that allows users to converse with an AI therapist. These therapists offer advice and motivational words. Though not human, these AI therapists have clinical success. “Early evidence suggests chatbots can deliver elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and other mental-health tools well enough to reduce symptoms of depression and stress at least a little, and Earkick’s data find that people who use the app for about five months report a 34% improvement in mood and 32% reduction in anxiety. In one poll, 80% of people who’d used ChatGPT for mental-health advice found it a good alternative to regular therapy.”- reports Time

With traditional therapy 3/4 of clients don’t see any progress. Another aspect is the price point; in Texas, hourly sessions cost anywhere from 50 to 200 per hour. Whereas platforms like Wysa are 74.99 monthly for unlimited sessions. For those who are looking for a free option: CHAT-GPT gives advice and is available 24/7.

                            Data Analysis

        One of the great aspects of AI is the ability to analyze data within seconds, a robot can interpret data quicker than a human mind. How does this help the Mental Health world? With over 45,000 suicides in 2022, AI can now detect behavioral data and voice recordings to predict the chances of someone committing suicide digital phenotyping). IBM found that machine learning can classify mental health issues with “high accuracy.” At the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, researchers found that AI could detect the possibility of an individual taking their own life with 80% accuracy. With language processing algorithms, AI can track chats and conversations, detecting patterns of words or phrases. The National Library of Medicine states, “depression impacts how we move our bodies, including how we type, so machine learning can be used to detect and identify specific patterns linked to depression or other conditions. “By asking simple questions like a therapist would, chatbots can identify stressors or mental health issues by being able to analyze their answers and help provide solutions.

                           Benefits

• Price point –   With in-person therapy, there are costs of transportation and the cost of the visit itself. With AI therapy, you can have your session at your house. Eliminating the cost of transportation. The cost of therapy is either free or majorly reduced compared to in-person.
• Accessibility– More than 100 million Americans live in areas with a healthcare professional shortage. Being able to connect with a therapist at your fingertips, makes therapy and mental health accessible to all.

As of now, AI isn’t perfect, but we have so far in the progression of mental health. We started in a time where someone would be laughed at for expressing how they felt, now we are creating opportunities to make it available to everyone in the future, and as a society, we aren’t done innovating technology to make therapy accessible.

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