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Artificial intelligence (AI) advancements are providing psychotherapy to more individuals who need it. It is becoming obvious that artificial intelligence (AI) for mental health might be a game-changer. Millions suffering from various mental health disorders are being given new options because of innovative technologies. Nonetheless, the advantages of these strategies must be carefully weighed against their drawbacks. The long-term effectiveness of AI for mental health has yet to be extensively studied, but the first findings are encouraging.

Here are 6 ways AI can help us manage stress and increase our mental wellbeing:

Sensors for Emotion Recognition and Stress

With various unique technologies meant to monitor and enhance health and wellbeing, well-being technology like deep learning models, voice and picture recognition, and natural language processing are used in AI-enabled wearable technologies to assess and monitor employee behavior and emotions. This assists in determining mental diseases such as anxiety and despair. These solutions use machine learning techniques and voice recognition and can be employed in the workplace to measure employees' stress levels by recognizing tone and pace of speech. These in-built AI systems may also give tips on when employees can take breaks or when they are adopting unhealthy work habits based on data analytics from employee mood, gestures, and voice patterns.

‍Detecting early warning indications of a major disaster

Consider how your smartphone may notify your doctor if you're in danger of depression depending on how quickly you type or how often you leave your home. In one research, language analysis algorithms were 100 percent accurate in identifying kids who were prone to develop psychosis. These tools already exist, and they are quite effective. Language analysis may also be used to monitor patients who are already receiving therapy and inform a clinician if they begin to deteriorate. Most patients do not visit a doctor or therapist on a daily basis, but completing a few daily questions online might help the app discover early warning signals of danger. In many areas of mental health, particularly in the realm of pharmaceutical dependency, timely treatments are critical. Between sessions, AI technologies may be of significant assistance to human clinicians and patients, generating daily checks that can detect a decline before it becomes a deadly spiral.

AI Chatbots for Therapeutic Purposes

Cognitive-behavioral approaches are used by mental health chatbots to provide cognitive insights and behavioral modification. Woebot analyzes a user's input and generates customized answers using natural language processing and sentiment analysis. It evaluates the user's thoughts and emotions by asking straightforward questions and assisting the user in reevaluating their thinking patterns. Using CBT approaches, this chatbot offers personalized replies to patients with mental health concerns, assisting them in changing their emotions, thoughts, and actions by delivering valuable recommendations. The Moodkit program is made up of four tools: Moodkit activities, which suggest positive actions to improve the user's mood; Mood tracker, which monitors how the user's mood changes over a day, week, or as specified; Thought checker, which manages one's negative thoughts and feelings and assists the user in thinking positive thoughts; and Moodkit journal, in which the user records their thoughts and mood throughout the day. These chatbots speak with the user in order to assist them to change their attitude and ideas, prompting them to think positively and feel positive. Other AI-based workplace stress management tools gather data on the user's sleep habits, activity levels, mood, and heart rate variability. The software analyzes this information to provide a full assessment of the user's well-being. This is followed by automatic suggestions on how to reduce stress and enhance mental health.

Creating a conducive environment

Certainly, the structure and design of our workplaces affect environmental circumstances, such as exposure to natural light vs. artificial lighting, natural air, greenery, and so on, all of which have an impact on mental health at work. Certainly, the structure and design of our workplaces affect environmental circumstances, such as exposure to natural light vs. artificial lighting, natural air, greenery, and so on, all of which have an impact on mental health at work. AI used in workplace design or home environment can boost emotional and physical wellbeing.  Automated sensors placed into the work area can analyze an employee's attitude based on input from emotion recognition sensors and decide if altering ambient circumstances would boost performance and productivity. Some of these automatic devices may be able to change an office's natural lighting throughout the day. Artificial intelligence-powered equipment can even water your plants! Internal watering systems that are automated can improve workplace eco-friendliness, which benefits mental health.

Making assistance accessible 24 hours a day, wherever you are

Chatbots and applications are available regardless of where you reside. They are a low-cost, low-cost therapy alternative. They are always awake and on-call. Furthermore, some individuals may feel more at ease communicating their problems with an anonymous chatbot rather than a real person.

Of course, these technologies are still in their early stages. Chatbots and other app-based solutions for measuring and boosting mood, on the other hand, might be very valuable, especially for patients who would otherwise have difficulty receiving therapy. There are currently a number of smartphone-based programs that can guide patients through exercises based on cognitive behavioral therapy and other research-backed symptom-management strategies. A chatbot might be a lifeline for a patient who is experiencing difficulty in the middle of the night.

Assisting in the de-stigmatization of mental health disorders

Making mental health diagnosis and therapy more measurable and less subjective may assist in de-stigmatize these diseases and improving results. There is no blood test for mental health conditions, but a machine learning algorithm could become something akin to one — a research-based, "objective" test that makes the need for treatment less about a patient's subjective experience of distress and more about evidence-based data and medical best practices. Democratizing access to mental health treatment will very probably lead to the mainstreaming of this kind of healthcare as well. The more individuals who seek or know someone who has sought therapy for mental health issues, the less mental health care will seem like a hidden shame. 

Conclusion

Human therapists cannot be replaced by AI, but it may assist them. It may function as an early warning system, offering help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It may be a lifeline for those who live in remote locations where mental health care is scarce, or for those who cannot afford frequent visits to a therapist. Mental health is a huge issue in our culture, and the coronavirus epidemic is further exacerbating the problem. AI has the potential to transform mental healthcare, making it more accessible, responsive, and economical in the long run.