Opinion: Mental health professionals and therapy chatbots


To the editor: Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal makes some vital factors in regards to the issues of AI in substituting for human psychotherapists. Sadly, her limitations as a non-psychiatrist are evident.

For instance, most non-medical psychological healthcare is offered by professionals like scientific psychologists and social staff, whose work nearly at all times includes non-biological interventions.

Any dialogue of AI ought to contemplate which sort of psychotherapeutic intervention an AI program is designed to imitate.

Lastly, Rosenthal errs in defining transference as “the empathic circulation between affected person and physician.” That is merely incorrect, as anybody acquainted with psychoanalytic remedy is aware of.

AI poses some attention-grabbing challenges and alternatives for psychotherapy that advantage dialogue by knowledgeable psychological well being professionals.

Gerald C. Davison, USC professor of psychology, Los Angeles

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To the editor: As a training doctor, trying to make the most of AI chatbots for psychological well being situations is a aim for insurance coverage firms, together with Medicare.

Not that will probably be efficacious and enhance the psychological well being of youthful and older alike, however will probably be cheaper than paying a doctor or certified healthcare skilled to supply applicable care.

Synthetic intelligence will discover advantages in lots of arenas together with healthcare. However as we attempt to discover parity between bodily and psychological well being, we can’t enable insurance coverage firm earnings to dictate therapy of those that are psychologically struggling.

Gene Dorio, Saugus