Artificial Intelligence & Mental Health Therapy
With Mental Health Issues On The Rise, Can A.I. Help?
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Can A.I. replace, or at least supplement, conventional therapy? This is a topic that I’ve been interested in for several years now but never dove deep into it…until now.
When sh*t hit the fan for me in late 2020/early 2021, I received my first “prescription” for anxiety-related therapy. I didn’t know what to expect. I pictured myself as Tony Soprano — not wanting to be there at all and finding it a waste of time.
The gentleman was nice and supportive. He listened to me but didn’t offer much advice or CBT exercises for me to use. It ended up just being a place where I could just talk…or be triggered into having panic attacks. Not fun.
I wanted more.
With being naïve about therapy, I stuck with this gentleman and spent several thousand dollars when I probably didn’t need to. Did it help to have someone to talk to? Yes, of course. But after about two months I felt I was just spinning my wheels, not making any progress.
In retrospect, I can see great examples as to why A.I. therapy could have been a great substitute or supplement to my first go-around in therapy.
Let me explain.
WHAT IS A.I. THERAPY?
A.I. therapy is exactly what it sounds like: artificial intelligence provides the therapist role through apps, websites, and VR (virtual reality). The need for such services was discovered in the aftermath of the pandemic as it ripped across the globe. Anxiety, depression, and panic reached worldwide and completely overwhelmed the mental health industry. There needed to be a solution quickly.
SHORTAGE OF COUNSELORS
According to Counseling Today, mental health organizations are incredibly understaffed and underpaid. This was already an issue before COVID-19 and has since only exacerbated the issue, leaving many counselors and therapists with far too many clients.
There’s also a lack of funding from the government. Is it the government’s job to help out? One would argue “yes”, one would argue “no”. I think for the sake of our citizens’ health, it’s the government’s duty to at least subsidize for a limited period to help bolster the industry.
Must we put a dollar amount out there to signify the huge crisis we have? I guess so.
According to John Hopkins, 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. suffer from some sort of mental health disorder. This doesn’t even include children, but for the sake of the argument, let’s stick with this statistic.
1 in 4 Americans, is roughly 90 million people.
So if all 90 million had access to some sort of counseling, and paid for it without the help of insurance, this is what it could look like:
$100 dollars a visit x 52 weeks = $5,200 per person
Now this is mind-numbing…
$5,200 x 90,000,000 = $468,000,000,000
That’s 468 BILLION dollars.
According to the CDC, “Smoking [cigarettes] costs the United States hundreds of billions of dollars each year.”
You may be asking, “But how do these two things correlate to each other?”
If the government puts so much money into stopping cigarette usage, then why can’t they do the same for mental health? I think…no, I know…that mental health is a MUCH bigger issue than cigarette smoking.
If mental health was a priority, then maybe cigarette usage wouldn’t be as high…just a thought.
HOW CAN AI HELP?
As touched on above, I believe AI can tackle issues such as, but not limited to:
- LOWERING COSTS for patients in need. I’ve seen two therapists in my days. The first was as I mentioned above. Even then, with insurance, I was paying $75 dollars a visit. When I started with my second therapist who didn’t accept insurance, I was paying $125 dollars per visit. Was it worth the second go-around? Yes, absolutely. But it took a huge dent out of my wallet during a time of monetary uncertainty.
- SHORTAGE OF THERAPISTS is truly an issue. I applaud every one of them out there, as they are taking up much of their own mental bandwidth to help others and I’m sure it can be taxing on them. If A.I. chatbots and/or voice apps can truly get to the point of mimicking a human therapist with emotion, understanding, compassion, and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) tips and tools, then this can drastically help the issues we face.
- EXPOSURE THERAPY, in my opinion, is the strongest form of therapy. It involves facing your fear and diving head-first into it. Say you are afraid of swimming in the ocean. Do it. Afraid of public speaking? Do it. Afraid of large crowds? Go to a concert. But if you want to start slowly, exposing yourself to these sights and sounds through the technological advancements of V.R. headsets could help ease you into real-world applications.
- NOT WANTING TO TALK TO A REAL PERSON is something that I’ve heard time and time again. Whether it’s embarrassment, fear of a breakdown during a session, pride, or whatever it is, people don’t want to talk to a therapist in person. Hell, I didn’t want to — it made me feel weak. Although human interaction is absolutely vital in strong mental health — and refraining from human contact could only make your mental health worse in the long run — this could be a potential bridge or start for someone who doesn’t want to go in yet.
I know there can be dangers associated with A.I., but I want to be optimistic about the chance that it will be able to help out those in need. There is a long way to go with it and we are only at the beginning of its potential, but already there are some tools that we can use from AI.
In the meantime, and I myself am not perfect at it, we should be supportive of others as much as we can. Everyone is battling an inner demon and stuck in the prison of their mind.
I hope that you do find inner peace in the near future.
“A secret freedom opens through a crevice you can barely see.”-Rumi
Thank you for reading and if you haven’t already, check out my “Wild West” memoir of my time on a hemp farm below.
-AJK