Q&A: AI use surging for mental health help among young people
The question is no longer whether young people are using AI for mental health care, but the soundness of the advice they receive, health officials say.
A recent study revealed a significant surge in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health advice among young people in the United States. According to the research led by Hao Yu, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, the proportion of adolescents and young adults utilizing AI for mental health assistance has increased from approximately 12% to nearly 20% within a year.
Yu explained that this rapid adoption of AI is partly driven by the growing prevalence of mental health issues among young people and the acute shortage of mental health professionals, particularly child psychiatrists, in the U.S. healthcare system.
Despite the increasing use of AI, the study found that a majority of the youth did not disclose their use of AI for mental health advice to their parents or clinicians. This lack of disclosure may raise concerns, as the information provided by AI models is not always accurate or reliable, and misinformation can be prevalent. Yu emphasized the importance of parents and healthcare providers discussing the potential use of AI with their children to help them distinguish between accurate information and misinformation available online.
Yu noted that AI offers several advantages for young people, such as being accessible 24/7, not requiring appointments, and being less likely to become impatient or harsh during conversations. However, he pointed out that there have been unfortunate incidents, such as suicide attempts, when young individuals discussed mental health issues with AI.
While AI companies have promised to implement guardrails to ensure safety, there is still a lack of empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of AI-provided mental health advice.
The research team behind the study is now focused on assessing the safety and efficacy of mental health advice offered by AI. They hope that increased attention will lead to improvements in AI models, but this remains to be seen. Yu acknowledged that the rapid adoption of AI across various sectors of society, coupled with the increasing prevalence of mental health issues among young people, has resulted in a concerning trend that is likely to continue.
As a society, it is crucial to ensure that AI models providing mental health advice meet clinical standards and prioritize patient safety.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
