Each year, one in five Americans will experience some form of mental health illness.
While the need for help is clear, many don’t seek therapy either due to cost or stigma.
As a result, AI chatbots have jumped into the mix, offering to become a substitute Freud to thousands.
San Francisco-based psychologist Emily Anhalt has seen first-hand the effects of the country’s mental health crisis.
“The rates of things like anxiety and depression and burnout have skyrocketed. There are not enough trained and licensed therapists out there to meet all the people who want to get support. It doesn’t surprise me that all these mental health apps are popping up,” saidAnhalt.
Treatments range from cognitive behavioral exercises to companion bots that engage with users.
All for a fraction of what it costs to see an actual therapist.
“We just wanna make sure that we’re not doing it in a way that actually causes more harm than good,” said Anhalt.
Leading worldwide expert and UC Berkeley bioethics professor Jodi Halpern is concerned about the wild west aspect of apps which have no oversight.
Last year, the co-founder of Koko revealed the platform provided AI responses to thousands who thought they were speaking with a human.
“It’s not that I’m against in any way AI developing, but I think we need to think about regulation and doing it safely,” said Dr.Halpern.
She is leading the charge to make sure that chatbot apps offering mental health services become regulated by the FDA.
“If you say that you have any suicidal thoughts or feelings, the bots just say. ‘I can’t help you with that. Dial 911.,” said Dr. Halpern.
Headlines were made last year when a man in Belgium using the app, chai, committed suicide after being encouraged to do so by a rogue bot.
Dr. Halpern said while she recognizes AI therapy is not going away anytime soon, it’s best to use AI as a tool for cognitive behavior exercises, while continuing to see a real live therapist.
Contributors to this news report include: Jennifer Winter, Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Editor, Joseph Alexander-Short videographer.