The very technology that is causing anxiety about job losses in freelancers could soon be treating them for anxiety and depression finds US study
Mental health and relationship specialists such as counsellors, therapists and psychiatrists are not in the habit of making house calls in the middle of the night. Firstly, there just aren’t enough trained professionals to meet the demands of the global mental health crisis and secondly, you can’t just call up at 2 am asking for answers. But that could all change.
A recent study from Dartmouth College suggests that AI-powered therapy, or therabots, could be the answer many people, especially freelancers dealing with isolation, ghosting by long-term clients and financial uncertainty are looking for. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the research indicates that these chatbots can bring significant mental health benefits, offering a potential lifeline for people experiencing unique stressors.
The study’s findings are particularly relevant given the rising number of individuals seeking mental health support, a need amplified within the freelance community. The pressure on traditional mental health services is immense, leading to lengthy waiting lists and, for many, a lack of access to crucial care. This is where AI therapy steps in, offering a potentially scalable and readily available alternative.
Does this sound a bit scary? Possibly unreliable should LLM hallucinations occur. Of course, it does. How do you trust an algorithm to help you with the most precious thing you have: your health? Most people can admit to calling on “Dr Google” and online medical papers for answers to ailments we have or think we may have. So, are we now at a point where we can trust large language models trained with the expertise of mental health specialists to answer our calls for help 24/7? For these models to be trained on our personal experiences and prompts?
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is estimated to affect 264 million people globally.
Every day 129 Americans die by suicide and 130 die by opioid overdose. For nearly every leading cause of death (e.g., cancer, heart disease), comorbid mental health disorders increase morbidity and mortality rates.
For example, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Depression increases the risk for coronary heart disease among healthy adults and mortality among patients with coronary heart disease.
–Brittany N Rudd, Rinad S Beidas, JMIR Mental Health
AI therapy trial results
The clinical trial, which involved 106 people from across the United States diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, or an eating disorder, saw participants interacting with Therabot via a smartphone app. They typed responses to prompts about their feelings and initiated conversations when needed.
People diagnosed with depression experienced a 51% average reduction in symptoms, leading to clinically significant improvements in mood and overall well-being.
The trial involved randomly assigning participants to use Therabot with four weeks of unrestricted access. The researchers also created a control group of 104 individuals with similar diagnosed conditions who were monitored but did not have access to the app.
Nearly 75% of the Therabot group was not receiving medication or other therapeutic treatments at the time of the trial.
The results were striking. “People in the study reported they could trust and communicate with the system, known as Therabot, to a degree comparable to working with a mental health professional,” said the Dartmouth report.
For example, people diagnosed with depression experienced a 51% average reduction in symptoms, leading to clinically significant improvements in mood and overall well-being. For those with generalised anxiety, there was a 31% average reduction in symptoms, with many shifting from moderate to mild anxiety, or from mild anxiety to below the clinical threshold for diagnosis.
Even more encouragingly, among those at risk for eating disorders—a notoriously challenging group to treat—Therabot users showed a 19% average reduction in concerns about body image and weight, significantly outpacing a control group.
The researchers suggest AI can bridge the gap in mental health care. “The improvements in symptoms we observed were comparable to what is reported for traditional outpatient therapy, suggesting this AI-assisted approach may offer clinically meaningful benefits,” says Nicholas Jacobson, the study’s senior author and an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine.
Participants also reported they could trust and communicate with Therabot to a degree comparable to working with a mental health professional.
How do users interact with Therabot?
Therabot was designed to assist individuals experiencing mental health challenges, such as anxiety. If for example a user expresses feelings of nervousness and being overwhelmed, Therabot might reply, “Let’s take a step back and ask why you feel that way.” Should Therabot detect high-risk content, such as suicidal thoughts, it will prompt the user to call 999 (the UK’s equivalent of 911) or contact a crisis hotline via an on-screen button.
The app used personalised questions and responses, based on its ongoing conversations with users, to assess their well-being. Researchers reviewed the conversations to ensure the software adhered to best therapeutic practices.
How can therabots help freelancers?
For freelancers, who often work in isolation and face unique stressors, such as ghosting from clients and financial uncertainty, AI therapy has the potential to make them feel less depressed or anxious. That said, face-to-face human therapy is still considered the best route, if it is available, given human connection aids in the viability of the advice. But with limited therapists to go around, freelancers may be keen to consider giving AI therapy a try in certain scenarios:
Isolation and anxiety:
A freelancer experiencing anxiety from the uncertainty of their income could use a therabot for on-demand support. The AI could guide them through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to reframe negative thoughts and manage anxiety. For example, if a freelancer is experiencing a panic attack, the AI could lead them through breathing exercises or mindfulness exercises.
Managing work-life balance:
Freelancers often struggle to separate work from personal life. A therabot could help them establish healthy boundaries and manage stress related to overworking. It could also help by setting reminders for breaks, and help them to create a daily schedule, that includes work, and personal time.
“Therabot is not limited to an office and can go anywhere a patient goes. It was available around the clock for challenges that arose in daily life and could walk users through strategies to handle them in real-time,” said the researchers.
This 24/7 availability is an advantage, especially for those with irregular schedules.
How can users remain confident about AI therapy responses?
As research continues, and technology advances, AI therapy has the potential to help millions of people across the globe, especially those in the freelance community. However, AI therapy apps and platforms will need what experts call curated datasets. These can make sure the AI is trained on high-quality, accurate, and diverse datasets.
Poor-quality data can lead to biased or incorrect outputs, known as hallucinations. If the model’s training data is updated regularly to include the latest and most accurate information the app will help give users more confidence in their responses. Data augmentation techniques can also be used to expose the AI to various scenarios and edge cases.
Do you think you’ll give AI Therapy a try?
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