ChatGPT can provide AI therapy — what that means for you
May is the Mental Health Awareness month and while taking care of our mental health is no longer a taboo subject, it can be prohibitively expensive or require months on a waiting list. However, there is a possible solution for those who are seeking therapy, and that is through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). ChatGPT, for example, can provide a useful stopgap to conventional therapy, but it should be noted that it will not replace a trained therapist or mental health professional.
AI therapy could help stretched mental health services, especially for those who are in need of urgent care. ChatGPT, while not a substitute for professional therapy, could still provide helpful techniques and offer a generic list of ways to cope with mental health issues. The conversational ability of OpenAI’s software can provide a real help with talking therapy. Specific approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), may also benefit from an AI infusion. It may not work for everyone, but even the illusion of having a conversation about mental health could allow people to open up and seek treatment. Some people may even prefer the fact that talking to an AI means they don't have to confess thoughts and feelings to another human.
AI may help some, but it needs to be used cautiously. There are concerns about AI treatment even from those who currently use the technology. The potential impact of an open-ended AI like ChatGPT going off script and encouraging the wrong viewpoint or giving bad advice could be very dangerous. However, one potential solution to this is for a mental health group to use a ChatGPT Plugin to train the AI on certified practices and offer professional-level responses.
One of the negative thought processes often cited in CBT is catastrophizing — assuming the worst possible outcome is bound to happen. By practicing a task such as buying a bus ticket, even with AI, patients could build up the confidence to try it in real life and then challenge this negative thought process with their own evidence. AI could excel at this situation, providing patients a way to model social situations without the pressure of real eyes on them.
It should be noted that on matters of emotion, a computer-generated response will never be as good as a human one. Artificial intelligence may be intelligent, but people need feelings of validation and empathy from building a rapport with another human in the form of a therapist. Professionals are trained to spot risk and potential red flags that would often be near impossible for a machine to do.
As it stands, AI could be a useful tool for our mental health, but only if supplemented and recommended by professionals. It might not work for everyone, but for some, it could be a useful way to “top up” between professional therapy sessions.
