GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – Behavioral health providers say more patients are now turning to artificial intelligence tools and chatbots to ask questions about their mental health before speaking with a licensed professional.
“There are more patients coming to us, especially younger patients, saying things like, well, you know, this is what I think I’m struggling with. Or I tried ChatGPT, and this is what it said, this is what I think I need to do,” said Heather Jones, Chief Clinical Officer at Rogers Behavioral Health.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that one in eight young people is using AI to address mental health needs.
Local clinicians confirm they’re seeing that trend here in Wisconsin, but they warn these tools are not a substitute for therapy.
“But where AI falls short is, it’s not therapy. And there isn’t, when you’re using AI and ChatGPT or some of the resources that we have available to us free, there’s no human in the loop,” Jones said.
Jones said licensed providers are trained to identify risk factors, assess crisis, and determine when someone may need a higher level of care — something AI cannot do.
However, she said technology may help improve efficiency as the state faces a shortage of mental health specialists.
“We don’t have enough mental health professionals in the state of Wisconsin to meet our needs. We don’t have enough psychiatrists in the state of Wisconsin to meet the demand. So, in my mind, if there’s something that could help us be more effective and more efficient, it will only help build access to people getting the help they need,” Jones said.
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