Skip to main content

How Can artificial intelligence replace the human therapists

ai replace human therapists

Technology is developing fast with each passing day. Websites, mobile apps, and social media sites have their health segments to provide health-related services using AI.

Meanwhile, doctors, clinicians, therapists, and researchers are looking towards healthcare solutions and advanced technologies to cure mental illness by ensuring quality care and treatment. Fro this AI is aiding them a lot!

Some experts say that AI makes treatment and care facilities for mental treatment more accessible and affordable for everyone, including common people. Can AI really reduce the need for human therapists?

Let's check it out!

AI algorithms can combine and structure a massive amount of data and information generated from websites, apps, social media platforms, and other information sources available on the internet.

Digital data obtained from medical scans, therapy sessions, and other healthcare information resources easily undergo AI data processing and can be helpful.

Despite the guarantee, there are some main issues. The adequacy of some AI products is problematic, an issue exclusively by the reality that individual firms don't consistently share insights concerning how their AI functions.

"Between AI and humans, the main issue is TRUST, especially in mental illness treatment!"

Lack of trust by humans towards AI intensifies the issue more. Furthermore, the concerns continue about close-to-home data being partaken in abrupt techniques or with unintended occasions.

What role does the top AI solution provider in the USA have to play? It’s a must-check!

Mental Health Disorder Treatment is Costly In US!

Mental illness not only reduces an individual’s quality of life but also leads to increased health spending. To prove it, we have stats ready with us -

In 2013, Dementia - a mental disorder ranked first in the list of medical conditions with high spendings. With each day, mental health treatment is getting expensive. Annually, $201 billion is spent on mental health by the US government!

"From the reports of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in five US adults experiences mental health disorder."

Because of the high cost of mental illness treatment, several individuals fail to receive the right treatment from professionals at the right time.

Human Therapists offer practical help to deal with mental and emotional distress. And with each session, a psychotherapist takes the patient on the voyage of self-discovery.

"A human therapist studies the emotional and behavioral difficulties to help people reduce anxiety, manage anger, improve relationships, resolve trauma, stop addictive behavior, break the cycle of depression, and relieve medical conditions."

The shortage of doctors, healthcare support staff, and mental health professionals is a big problem. Furthermore, after the COVID pandemic, the need for tech support is essentially required at a higher level.

This is where the impact of artificial intelligence comes into action with their AI and machine learning mental health treatment program using AI-powered chatbots.

Also Read: 8 Artificial Intelligence Features Of Android App Development

How AI for Healthcare Is Helping in Mental Health Treatment?

Do you know about a Facebook-integrated computer program that aims to replicate conversations a patient might have with his or her therapist?

No, then this blog post is going to be very interesting for you!

Digital health technology, while treating mental illness, works upon your moods, thoughts, behavior, and feelings. Also, it listens to you, gather evidence about you based on CBT - Cognitive Behavior Therapy tools!

International Healthcare Committee Red Cross reports mixed reviews on the usage of chatbots in treating mental illness. Though chatbots are less expensive and easy to deploy, they aren't human and can miss the user's intent.

Many experts agree that options like Woebot, EMMA, KARIM, & ELLIE make CBT more accessible to the modern generation, decreasing the time required and present 24x7.

These are not the first attempt to create any systems and chatbots using AI for healthcare purposes. MIT Artificial Intelligence in the 1960s developed an early chatbot named ELIZA.

"ELIZA program is a chatbot that simulates a conversation between a therapist and a patient. It is the grandparent of all the AI systems about which we hear in the present mental health treatment."

Natural Language Processing (NLP) advances with the growing popularity of smartphones. And NLP helps in making AI better for human therapists.

WOEBOT is an instant messaging service that emulates a real-life face-to-face meeting and interacts based on the individual’s situation. Just after two weeks of the trial, Woebot's results were amazing. It managed to decrease the patient's anger, anxiety, and depression.

ELLIE is a virtual therapist made in the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT). It helps in reducing depression and traumatic stress.

For example, the EMMA chatbot speaks Dutch and helps to treat mild anxiety cases, while the KARIM chatbot speaks Arabic.

Though the chatbots are doing their work better, psychologists tell that in human-to-human interaction, patients don’t share embarrassing things that happened with them as the humans are bound to their self-restraint because of shame.

"But, the AI is letting people open easily and confidently!"

Also Read: How Artificial Intelligence Impacts the Web App Development Process

Are AI-powered Chatbots the Future of Mental Health Technology?

AI is already transforming different industries. AI and machine learning mental health treatment enable a new type of care focused on easy and personalized emotional support.

Ginger.io is one such clinical network platform that provides the right level of emotional support, online CBT, and integrate clinicians. The platform helps the users track their collaborative approach of psychiatrists, life training coaches, and therapists.

Ginger.io is the best example that tells us how AI is moving forward in the treatment of mental illness. It is simply transcending the temporary, financial, geographical, boundaries, and other limitations.

A shortage of medical staff is a huge barrier to providing better healthcare facilities. For those who are experiencing mental health difficulties, the availability of doctors on time is a big issue. However, chatbots and online AI platforms are providing better supports than the therapist would have.

AI for mental health needs improvement, but it is good to go for masses showing mild symptoms of mental illness. That’s why we think that AI is the future of mental health treatment.

“Now, good mental health is easily available at your fingertips!”

Will AI Replace Therapists?

It is true that AI is functioning better in the treatment of mental health. Somewhere, it is more communicative to the patients. As a result, AI plays an important role in understanding the mental health of humans.

Additionally, the guidance by AI is more data-driven. On the other hand, human therapists use their knowledge, skills, and years of training to treat people emotionally in their stressful times.

“Not every time data works because we are not here to makes sales, we are here to make lives better and happy, reducing stress and depression.”

Due to this, AI can’t fully replace human therapists completely. But,

Can AI replace therapists in the future or not is yet to be known. We believe that the replacement will need more than 15 years.

Until then keep knowing more about the top healthcare solutions companies in the USA!