Patna: In the fragile world of mental health, a quiet revolution is taking shape – not in clinics or counsellors’ rooms, but in the palm of our hands. For many today, the first confidant in moments of despair is not a friend, family member, or doctor, but an anonymous AI chatbot.
Medical professionals attribute this shift to a culture hooked on instant answers, quick fixes and digital shortcuts. They warn, however, that while AI offers convenience and anonymity, it also carries hidden perils when it comes to something as delicate as the human mind.
For those living under the weight of stigma, the appeal is undeniable. One woman, speaking anonymously, said, “Mental illness is still a taboo and we are not open to talking about it. AI is always in your hands, so it becomes an easy option.”
“Whenever I feel low, I look for solutions and at times, I even talk to it. Even though I know it’s an AI, there is someone to acknowledge and listen to me,” she added. This immediate, round-the-clock presence – free from judgment, geography or time zones – has made chatbots a popular refuge for the vulnerable.
But psychiatrists and psychologists are deeply concerned.
Dr Jayesh Ranjan, director of the Bihar State Institute of Mental Health and Allied Sciences, Koilwar, questioned how anyone struggling with mental illness could hope to self-diagnose in the first place. “AI is designed to please the user, not to provide an objective judgment,” he said.
That, he said, is dangerous because it delays proper treatment. “When you get early symptoms, you search there and get more and more entangled in it,” he added, raising further alarms over the risks of data leaks.
According to him, a doctor’s craft cannot be imitated by algorithms. “A human doctor observes countless variables – appearance, body language, speech – all honed over years of practice. AI cannot possibly replicate this,” he said.
Dr Binda Singh, clinical psychologist, highlighted another pitfall: hypochondria fuelled by online searches. “What happens is, whatever disease we search for, the symptoms we see make it seem like we have that,” she said. Many of the apps, she added, are not even authentic.
Patients, after experimenting with unverified digital remedies, often end up at her clinic with worsened conditions. “This is not a practical approach. People feel there is no one who understands their illness, but they should at least start the conversation,” she urged.
For Dr Niska Sinha, senior psychiatrist at IGIMS, Patna, the problem is fundamental. “AI is a software feeder and cannot match human emotion,” she said. Therapy, she stressed, rests on empathy, observation, and the human touch – qualities no machine can mimic.
She also flagged a worrying legal vacuum. “If a doctor does wrong treatment, he will be punished, but there is no law to punish AI. It is not tested either,” she pointed out, warning that an over-reliance on bots could push people deeper into isolation.
“There are issues of bias, data security, and a limited understanding of human complexity. AI algorithms can inherit biases from their training data, potentially leading to inaccurate diagnoses, and require robust security measures to protect the sensitive user data they collect.
Given the current limitations and potential risks, AI is likely to serve as a complementary tool in mental health support rather than a replacement for human therapists,” she added.
