Chatbots can offer support, companionship and therapy which can lessen the load on therapists and is a viable option for people who face challenges in terms of affordability and accessibility, says DR PRAKRITI PODDAR
Delivering proper care to those with mental health issues has always been a big challenge. India is on the verge of a mental health epidemic, yet it's hard to find a public discourse on ways to prevent mental health disorders or treat them.
According to a report by the World Health Organisation in 2019, over 264 million people are affected by depression and almost 800,000 people die by suicide each year. The situation has been further worsened by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The isolation because of lockdown, uncertainty and fear due to job cuts and general discomfort due to the inability to control different aspects of life has triggered severe mental trauma in people across India. The issue has been made even more complicated by the fact that no one has any idea when things will ever return to normal.
To tackle the issue of rising mental health issues among people, technology companies are leveraging Artificial intelligence-based solutions to develop chatbots tuned to help patients with mental health concerns. These conversational agents support patients with mental health issues while offering a high level of privacy and anonymity.
Chatbots can be effective but are they really the answer?
A chatbot is able to simulate a conversation on different platforms using audio or text and sometimes video too. While some chatbots are fully automated, some utilise human interfaces. The AI frameworks required to be trained with vast amounts of data to make these chatbots compatible with the complexity of human communication have the ability to understand cultural nuances.
There are chatbots designed to detect subtle changes in facial expressions, length of pauses or rates of speech and build a diagnosis accordingly. In case the chatbot detects a deep-seated problem in the patient, an option to meet an actual therapist is offered to them, and relevant helpline numbers are shared.
A part of the population especially, the millennials and Gen Z, believe that chatbots are a great way to address the issue of the mental health crisis in India. The young crowd is tech-savvy and more comfortable in sharing responses with a chatbot rather than a real person. This makes sense when we think about how workplaces are becoming more remote, and increasing internet conversations are making human interaction more limited.
However, not all are convinced and it can be debated whether one ought to be. Issues related to mental health are complex and articulating how one feels can be quite difficult even in front of a trained professional who can see the facial expressions, nuanced inflections in body language and even tone. Compared to that, using a chatbot may seem superficial.
Apart from that, there are other issues as well. A chatbot is trained with underlying neural nets and learning algorithms and can inherit the prejudice of its makers. The algorithms behind a chatbot have to be designed in a way that makes sure it behaves in a specific manner, which is helpful for the person talking to it on the other side. The people developing the chatbot need to be well aware of the nuances of mental health.
Bridging the Gap
Human beings are complicated creatures, even those who are not struggling with mental health issues. Those suffering from anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and suicidal thoughts have several layers of thinking and multiple faces that they put on for their interactions. A chatbot, in this scenario, often helps to bring down the 'wall' since its biggest weakness is its greatest strength too. A chatbot is never judgemental, it will never show empathy too. Most questions used by chatbots are fed in an algorithm based on the CBT technique. The lack of emotional bonding is often what a person suffering from mental health is often looking for. However, it is important to remember that chatbots can be effective in early interventions and a primary diagnosis of mental health disorders but it is best not to let chatbots engage in full-blown mental health therapy without any human supervision.
In conclusion, chatbots can offer support, companionship and therapy which can lessen the load on therapists drastically. It is indeed a viable option for people who face challenges in terms of affordability and accessibility. In the years to come, technology companies need to develop chatbots that can strike the right balance of being empathetic without being judgemental. Those using them must be made aware of the limitations of the chatbot and the areas in which it can help — a transparent system is what is required.
The writer is Dr Prakriti Poddar, Mental Health Expert Director at Poddar Wellness