Many people would agree that there is truth in the old saying that a problem shared is a problem solved. But how many of us would feel better in some way after sharing our worries and thoughts with an AI chatbot? While on the face of it, we may feel that this would not constitute a warm, human interaction, there may be considerable benefit to the use of AI chatbots in digital mental health support.
Gentle support
Many of us are already using AI-powered apps to support our mental health by encouraging a little time-out each day with apps such as Calm and Headspace.
A step up from these apps are virtual, chatbot-powered therapists whom clients can have a conversation with in much the same way as you would with a human therapist. The AI which powers these has been trained to interact with clients in much the same way that a trained cognitive behavioural therapist or counsellor would do.
But does it work?
While some may be sceptical, the thinking behind all of this is that the AI bots really can support you in improving your mental health by challenging unhelpful, negative thought patterns. For example, if a service user referred to being useless or looking at things with a pessimistic view, the AI chatbot could challenge those thoughts and ideas, which, in turn, leads to happier emotions down the line.
This works in the same way as CBT offered by a human therapist. Information on CBT can be found on the NHS website. Anyone wishing to learn more about training as a therapist in this area could look at mental health training courses offered by a provider such as www.tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-training-courses.
User belief
To some extent, the success of this will depend on how much the service user believes it may help. While nothing can compete with opening up to a trusted friend or an excellent therapist, it certainly seems that AI chatbots have an increasingly important place in the world of wellbeing support.
