AI chatbots here to help with your mental health, despite limited evidence they work

This image provided by Earkick in March 2024 shows the company's mental health chatbot on a smartphone. . But experts disagree about whether these chatbots are delivering a mental health service or are simply a new form of self-help. Download the mental health chatbot Earkick and you’re greeted by a bandana-wearing panda who could easily fit into a kids' cartoon.

The question of whether these artificial intelligence -based chatbots are delivering a mental health service or are simply a new form of self-help is critical to the emerging digital health industry — and its survival. “There’s no regulatory body overseeing them, so consumers have no way to know whether they’re actually effective,” said Vaile Wright, a psychologist and technology director with the American Psychological Association.

The U.K.’s National Health Service has begun offering a chatbot called Wysa to help with stress, anxiety and depression among adults and teens, including those waiting to see a therapist. Some U.S. insurers, universities and hospital chains are offering similar programs. Virtua data shows patients tend to use Woebot about seven minutes per day, usually between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Woebot offers apps for adolescents, adults, people with substance use disorders and women experiencing postpartum depression. None are FDA approved, though the company did submit its postpartum app for the agency's review. The company says it has “paused” that effort to focus on other areas. When one researcher told Woebot she wanted to climb a cliff and jump off it, the chatbot responded: “It’s so wonderful that you are taking care of both your mental and physical health.” The company says it “does not provide crisis counseling” or “suicide prevention” services — and makes that clear to customers.

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