Is AI the Future of Mental Health?

“The largest estimated net job gains from AI over the next 20 years are predicted to be in the UK’s health and social care sector.”

With the astronomical rise of AI technology in the UK, is there any wonder that it is making its way into healthcare and more specifically, mental health?

In this article, we will explain what AI is, the uses of AI in healthcare and what we can look forward to in the future.

What is AI?

According to Google Cloud, “Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technologies that enable computers to perform a variety of advanced functions, including the ability to see, understand and translate spoken and written language, analyse data, make recommendations, and more.”

How is AI currently used in healthcare?

Back in 2023, NHS staff were given the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology to diagnose and treat patients more quickly, this was thanks to a £21 million fund provided by the Health and Social Care Secretary at the time.

In addition to this, the government had already invested £123 million into eighty-six AI technologies, which were created to help patients by supporting stroke diagnosis, screening, cardiovascular monitoring and managing conditions at home.

It is widely believed that AI has the potential to give clinical staff the time they need to actively care for patients. Currently, AI is being piloted for several schemes within the NHS in the UK, to help with the following:

To help with faster and more accurate diagnosis
To reduce errors caused by human fatigue
To support with or automate repetitive tasks
To decrease costs
To help reduce mortality rates

How can AI be used in mental health?

Mental health services in England received a record five million referrals during 2023. With this volume of cases, it’s no wonder that the NHS requires additional support through the means of technology.

There is currently a growing database of evidence to suggest that AI can be particularly helpful in the diagnosis of conditions helping to develop therapies and even support a more personalised approach and treatment plan.

Chatbots are used to provide a line of communication and offer advice for individuals accessing mental health services in the UK. They can help people cope with symptoms, monitor for keywords that may trigger a referral and also provide a bridge to mental health professionals if needed.

An AI programme called Limbic was co-designed with NHS Mental Health Services to help improve patient outcomes, meet the growing demand, reduce burnout and help the NHS operate more efficiently. Limbic has delivered clinical assessments for more than three hundred and fifty thousand patients across 40% of NHS Talking Therapies.

Data from YouGov found that “55% of Britons who are familiar with AI chatbots that offer mental health services prefer if such chatbots were integrated into existing services.”

Is AI the future of mental health diagnosis and treatment?

There are many pros for the use of AI in mental health, with the main one being that it will help unburden professionals, helping retain them and reduce their stress. In addition to this, more people will also be diagnosed and treated through the use of technology, rather than relying on large waiting lists and millions of referrals.

Conversely, there are some limitations to consider. As with any new technology and the handling of private and personal data, there are ethical and privacy concerns. A trained therapist will almost always apply ethical and moral principles, whereas a piece of technology will not apply the ‘human touch.’ There is also the concern that AI may run with unchecked bias/inaccuracy, and in turn risk giving harmful recommendations.

The more AI advances, the more likely we are to see its continued integration into mental health diagnosis and treatment. Although AI is a fantastic tool, it should be used to aid the work of healthcare professionals, rather than replace the humanity of healthcare.

What do you think?

Thank you for reading!

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