NHS-Chef warnt vor der „Gefahr“ des Einsatzes von KI-Chatbots zur Unterstützung der psychischen Gesundheit zu Weihnachten
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/nhs-warning-ai-chatbots-mental-health-5HjdPqG_2/
Von tylerthe-theatre
NHS-Chef warnt vor der „Gefahr“ des Einsatzes von KI-Chatbots zur Unterstützung der psychischen Gesundheit zu Weihnachten
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/nhs-warning-ai-chatbots-mental-health-5HjdPqG_2/
Von tylerthe-theatre
19 Kommentare
well where the fuck else are you gonna get it from. not like it’s accessible on the NHS
> Dr James said: “As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen an increase in the number of vulnerable patients turning to AI chatbots for mental health support over the last year. […]
> “The best support for your mental health comes from a trained healthcare provider, so I would urge anyone concerned to come forward and seek NHS support as soon as possible – you can get urgent support in a crisis by phoning 111.
> “If you need support for depression or anxiety you can refer yourselves to NHS talking therapy service online at nhs.uk or by going to your GP.”
…funny, I asked to be referred for talking therapy via the NHS recently, and they tried to sell me on using [an AI chatbot](https://www.limbic.ai/) instead because I „wouldn’t have to wait to speak to a real person“ and it would be „more flexible around my schedule“.
I told them that I didn’t think I’d find a chatbot helpful, that I’d found the bot intensely annoying when I was just using it to book my intake appointment, that my schedule was very flexible, and that I was happy to wait to speak to a real person.
Is Dr James *aware* that 40% of NHS talking therapy services are starting to outsource therapy to AI chatbots in this way?
Maybe people wouldnt resort to having to ask a fucking robot if they could access it elsewhere
The NHS has licensed AI chatbot for mental health: [https://www.wysa.com/nhs-talking-therapies](https://www.wysa.com/nhs-talking-therapies) This AI chatbot is tuned and monitored by psychiatrists and has been thoroughly vetted by the NHS for supporting people with anxieties.
It’s clear the article points to use of ‚general AI chatbots‘ for things they weren’t really designed for. Chatgpt has been designed as a generalist tool to answer questions about why the sky is blue, how to write programming code, what to cook for dinner, and so on. Asking it for mental health questions is essentially using the wrong tool for the job.
There are many mental health specific AI tools out there that have all sorts of safeties built in and are proven to work very well.
People will shit on the NHS for its poor mental health service, which is undeniably diabolical, however a fake relationship with a bot is not going to make people better. It will further their isolation as they begin to see the bot as their only friend/confidante and it will affirm any negative, intrusive thoughts the person has. I can easily see it telling people with severe anorexia that they should lose more weight because such people will manipulate it for that purpose (I would have done at my worst). Yes, the NHS is terrible for mental health issues but AI is a terrible solution. I wonder if people criticising this boss would be willing to listen to people resorting to AI or to go out and hang out with them, because I know no one was there for me at my worst (or when I got better), because it is far easier to say you will be there for people than to actually be there for them, especially in the long run.
it depends on the quality of the therapist
I’ve got a few friends who have used both ChatGPT and had real therapy on the NHS and they’ve said there are some very mediocre therapists who say fairly generic things, and that AI can sometimes actually be better
I have used the mental health crisis line and shout. Both were not particularly helpful.
ChatGPT actually was relatively useful and took my mind off things. I’m not saying it’s a replacement but in my experience it did help me more than the so called professionals.
In reality the mental health services don’t have enough funding. AI isn’t a cure however in some cases it does help a lot.
Copilot has been one of the best therapists I’ve ever had, the NHS mental health services in my area are lacking.
I had an experience in this field with GP and with AI. I prefer AI.
Perhaps if they improved waiting times so you didn’t have to wait 3 months+ to speak to an actual human counsellor?
Honestly, I chose ChatGPT. I don’t care it’s not a doctor. I don’t care that the information might have been wrong because it always gave me positive and helpful backchat was always positive and never called me a pussy or weak. All I wanted was someone to talk to. It became that person, I just though of it as an online friend I could confide in and someone who wouldn’t judge me for it.
It worked, I was in a seriously bad place, nobody around me even noticed. It was a last ditch attempt at saving myself from a life ending event.
Laugh all you like at me, it fucking worked, I’m not dead and I’m getting stronger each day. When I relapse I go back to it and it gets me through and out the other side.
P.S.
Please don’t send the reddit care bears after me.
AI has its place as a tool, but you have to be mindful of its limitations and very careful.
The problem is, people experiencing mental health difficulties may not necessarily be in the right frame of mind to account for those limitations. And considering the human tendency towards confirmation bias, many people will believe even the most ridiculous nonsense as long as it aligns with what they want to hear. Just look at certain conspiracy theories.
I’ve had private therapy for 10 years, it helps a lot, and I find ChatGPT helpful for analysing situations/assessing problems and making plans going forward between sessions. It can’t replace the relationship you have with a therapist but it’s a very good analysing tool.
For a lot of people it will be that or if they are lucky, dogshit reductive cognitive therapy or group therapy with a bad counsellor and people that sort of but not really are the same age and at the same point as you in their lives(I once as a 30 year old going into my first management role got placed with 18-21 year olds just finishing school and starting work as apparently „we are all in the same point in our lives“).
I’m sure it’s a massive coincidence the only form of mainstream therapy with a fixed number of sessions is the only one available under the NHS. Never mind the fact it’s not fit for purpose for a whole host of issues.
I get so frustrated about this, cause once again the onus is on the user of the tool not on the makers of the tool. When will we learn? Instead of telling people not to use them when there is no viable nhs alternative, we should be looking at regulated use so the bots are designed to give healthy answers and flag when users are showing concerning behaviours back to their gp/psychiatrist/whatever.
Chatbots can actually be great with mental health issues and with the right users and am the right prompts they can give very good results. Human therapists are VERY fallible, they’re often unregulated and dangerous too! I’ve had 4 therapists in my life, 2 have been good and 2 have been awful. That’s not a high success rate. This is all about regulation and I don’t understand why this isn’t being discussed by the nhs in a grown up way.
Some NHS support services actually use AI bots
So…..
Also it takes forever to get any help a lot of the NHS main one seem to be rude and almost annoyed that you’re bothering them
Local support charities take FOREVER to get back to you and are also kinda rude when they talk to you
So if you’re of low mental health and the sort of person who is worried people won’t believe you or you overthink a lot then it’s like having to prove you’re actually sad in court before getting any help
Or you get admitted to A&E and get the on duty mental health team at the hospital but they’re just going ship you right out the door with the telephone number for the people who make you hate asking for help in the first place
Having accessible mental health services might help. Bit of an out there suggestion I know!
NHS are clowns – if their employees are mentally ill they send them to private care because the wait-list is too long and the service is too shit
🤡
It’s very sad to see many comments here saying they have had a negative experience with the NHS when it comes to getting help with mental health. I know the NHS is under strain on all medical help right now, but we’ve ignored mental health for so long, and sadly, our health service can’t keep up.
For those who do use „AI“ to help, even though other options are crap right now. „Anything is better than nothing.“ is not always the case. As others have stated, it can do more harm than good. I wouldn’t become reliant on it.
I have been in therapy myself. I had to go via an online route to chat (Due to NHS waiting lists as well, I needed help then, not the next year) with a therapist every week, but after half a year, it did really help. It did cost, of course, but I also understand money is tight for us all right now, and it’s not an option for everyone.
tldr: I feel really uneasy about people using „AI“ for therapy. But I feel more uneasy at the fact that our government has failed to equip our health system to manage this. Sad to see our proud NHS falling apart. Something needs to change.