AI and Mental Health: How AI Is Changing the Perception Problem With Mental Health

Artificial intelligence has existed for decades; in the last three years, it has exploded into a significant part of our everyday lives. From the way we work and communicate to even the way we seek help, AI has rapidly taken over important aspects of our day-to-day and looks to become more deeply integrated into everything we do. Having a balanced understanding of AI is crucial to leading a healthy and safe life. 

What Is AI, and How Is It Used Today?

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, was a concept largely confined to theoretical computer science for the latter half of the 20th century. However, over the last decade, advancements in data science and machine learning have accelerated, paving the way for AI to grow into the massive field it is today. Let’s look at what AI is and how it is mostly used.

Simply put, AI is a technology that allows computers to mimic human problem-solving and decision-making capabilities. Data scientists send large chunks of data to computer systems and use algorithms to detect patterns. Over time, the AI begins to process the data and derive meaning from it, but at a much faster pace than humans are capable of.

AI is used in several ways. Let’s look at some of them:

• Assistants and chatbots

While Siri and Google Assistant are popular examples of assistant AIs, customer support windows in major consumer platforms, such as Zomato, Amazon, and Swiggy, are examples of chatbots.

• Workplace Automation

Many companies are using AI to replace or automate low-impact, manual tasks that would take time but wouldn’t give major results. This helps teams to focus on more strategic and high-impact tasks that offer better outcomes.

• Health & Fitness Apps

Most health and fitness applications have now implemented AI to offer better features for their users. For instance, Strava, a popular fitness tracking app, has implemented AI to provide users with summaries, suggestions, and recommendations after their workouts to help them improve their performance.

• Mental Health Apps

Various mindfulness and mental health apps are using AI to track users’ moods and provide prompts that help users improve their well-being.

How is AI Having a Positive Impact on Mental Health

The advent of AI has increased access to mental health support that was previously unavailable or difficult to reach for vast sections of people. Here are a few ways in which AI is having a positive impact in the mental health space:

• Quick Access to Help

Mental health and seeking help for mental health concerns are taboo subjects in India that are frowned upon. Although the situation has changed significantly recently, the county has a long way to go to catch up and be more accepting. AI apps have removed this stigma by offering anonymous support at the exact moment people need it.

• Less Pressure on Working Professionals

Most working professionals use AI extensively to alleviate their workload by automating unnecessary, manual tasks, thereby freeing up time to focus on more important tasks.

• Early Detection & Intervention

AI can be used to analyse patterns in speech, texts, sleep, or activities to identify early signs of stress, anxiety, or depression. This helps to offer much-needed intervention before the situation worsens.

What Are the Negative Effects of AI on Mental Health

Although AI has helped in many ways since its introduction, it is by no means a rosy story, as there have been a few negative effects as well. Let’s explore a few of them:

• Overreliance and Isolation

Humans are social animals, but apps and AI have pushed people to avoid human connection and become more isolated. Instead, people use these apps or AI tools to keep them company when they should be seeking help from human professionals.

• Job Security & Workplace Stress

Job security has been the most significant buzzword since AI came into being. As most companies use AI, workers are anxious and stressed about being replaced.

How Should You Use AI to Maintain Your Mental Well-being?

The positive benefits of AI far outweigh the negatives as long as you use it the right way. Here are a few tips on integrating AI into your life while protecting your mental well-being.

1. Set clear boundaries on AI usage. Use screen timers to limit overexposure to AI content.
2. Use AI to support you, but don’t use it as your therapist.
3. Balance your AI with outdoor time, like physical exercise and social connections.
4. Protect your privacy by only using tools with solid policies.

What Does the Future of AI and Mental Health Look Like?

Over the last few years, AI has grown exponentially, but we can expect significant changes in the future. Here’s what the future of AI and mental health could look like:

• More Focus on Ethics & Human Care

Experts suggest that the initial phase of unchecked AI growth is shifting toward a period of regulation and safety. So, we can expect companies to focus more on doing the right thing ethically.

• Increased Accuracy in Mental Health Risk Detection

As AI is trained on more and more accurate mental health risk data, we can expect that tools in the future will become more accurate for risk detection in terms of behavioural and emotional changes, sleep and wake cycles, and speech and language issues.

• Expect More Personalised Care

You can see more companies focusing on offering personalised care to their users, as AI can learn from individual data and modify scenarios to cater to their needs. This could help in providing better care for people as and when they need it.

AI as a Valuable Tool for Improvement

In conclusion, AI is a new and trendy tool that has captivated the global audience. Treating it as an assistant that can help you get better and setting clear guardrails on how and when to use it helps you utilise it better.