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AI to Revolutionize Mental Healthcare System
AI to Revolutionize Mental Healthcare System

April 30, 2021

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Despite the increasing awareness regarding mental health, figures and statistics show that we still have a long way to go. The World Health Organization states that in India, there is a severe shortage of psychologists (0.7) and psychiatrists (0.3) per 100,00 population, while ideally it should be above 3 per a population of 100,000. The Organization also estimates that roughly 56 million Indians suffer from depression and yet another 38 million are living with anxiety disorders. These mental issues more often than not go unnoticed and undiagnosed. Even in developed countries like USA, one in four people reportedly suffer from mental illnesses and every 40 seconds, a person dies by suicide, while 40% of Americans live with shortage of professionals. In Europe, WHO estimated that 44.3 million people suffer from depression; 37.3 million experience anxiety. Amidst this global mental health crisis, it is of seminal importance to destigmatize mental care and make it accessible to all. Artificial Intelligence has proven to be a means to the solution, and fortunately, mental health professionals have successfully integrated technology to predict, diagnose, and treat patients, benefiting individuals suffering from such illnesses, and here’s how: 

  1. Aid to professionals: “One of the main advantages of using AI as a platform to provide therapy is the ability to scale and reduce significant barriers to access, as well as sustainability of proven psychotherapy such as problem-solving treatment,says Jun Ma, PhD, Beth and George Vitoux Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Often, physicians are burdened with heaps of documentation, limited time, and obsolete technology. They are forced to bank on human skill for deciding treatments suited for each individual. AI on the other hand can efficiently detect and diagnose mental issues, provide an understanding of the prevalence of illnesses, monitor prognosis and medication adherence, conduct sessions, predict tendencies towards illnesses based on medical records and so on. Primarily, it creates a space for mental health practitioners to build a therapist-patient relationship, focusing on the human aspects of medicine. 
  1. 24/7 support: Although still experimental, apps and chatbots are a viable treatment option. It provides the option of anonymity, rendering some people more comfortable expressing and sharing. Perpetually on call, it also solves the problem of availability of psychologists, where it can take upto months to book an appointment, and could prove to be a saving grace for someone in the middle of the night. For example, Moodpath, a German startup tracks moods by prompting individuals with daily questions and generating results for consultations. Another Turkish meditation app Meditopia personalises sessions to reduce stress. Wysa and AskAri are emotionally intelligent chatbots that teach students self-care while offering support. 
  1. Reducing Costs: This might be one of the biggest advantages of AI. The cost of therapy inhibits a large amount of people from seeking it, thus making it an economical issue. With AI, affordability and accessibility of professional help will increase tenfold. The apps and chatbots mentioned above are a perfect example. 
  1. Detecting early signs of trouble: By analyzing patterns of speech and stresses, facial expressions, isolation, and triggers, algorithms have successfully flagged signs of depression, anxiety and PTSD, and predicted imminent episodes for patients. For example, smartphone apps take into consideration how often one leaves their house and how fast one types.  Language analysis is another powerful tool for the same. In one study, algorithms were 100% accurate at identifying teens who were likely to develop psychosis. Another successful study predicted which of the patients who were brought into the hospital for self-harming are likely to attempt suicide in the future. Timely intervention and control is crucial to save lives, and support provided by AI can do that by creating daily checkpoints for patients between sessions and keeping a check on them, alerting doctors if conditions worsen. Startups such as Clarigent Health have already put this tech to use. US's Sentio Solutions and Thriveport utilizes CBT, mindfulness and positive psychology to recognise emotions and change negative thought patterns over time. 

With AI and traditional therapists working together to provide mental care, therapy will become increasingly effective and affordable to all. Those with no support systems will now be reached out to, building their resilience and saving their lives. Although AI bots will never completely replace psychologists, the technology it avails will furnish us with resources imperative to transform people’s health. 


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Dr. Vikram Kumar

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