Robotic Minds: AI Breaks Down Mental Health Obstacles

Welcome to this week’s Deep-fried Dive with Fry Guy! In these long-form articles, Fry Guy conducts an in-depth analysis of a cutting-edge AI development. Today, our dive is about a transformative AI-powered mental health service called Woebot Health. We hope you enjoy!

The importance of mental health has garnered quite a bit of necessary attention over the past few years, but availability has continually been an issue. An AI-powered mental health app is here to change the way we think about mental health.

WHAT IS WOEBOT?

Woebot is a mental health resource addressing the surging demand for mental healthcare while dismantling the common issues that prevent people from seeking counseling—namely: time, money, and privacy. Woebot was designed with the help of cognitive scientists and mental health experts, which allows it to provide a comprehensive clinical experience imbued with the same level of understanding and compassion found in human interactions. Woebot has demonstrated the ability to establish an enduring therapeutic connection with users, similar to the deep connection formed between individuals. It represents a potent fusion of psychology and technology, fully digital yet profoundly compassionate at its core.

Woebot has four main objectives:

1. Quickly reduce symptoms: By offering 24/7 access, Woebot is able to offer personalized conversations and real-time coping techniques for individuals, tailored to their situation and feelings.

2. Expand health equity: Woebot gives everyone the opportunity to get in touch with world-class mental health resources.

3. Increase patient access: No matter where an individual is located, they are able to access quality mental healthcare by downloading Woebot straight to their mobile device, both on Apple and Andriod.

4. Effectively manage cost: Woebot is currently a free service, so it can be accessed by individuals regardless of health insurance or other financial concerns.

Woebot offers services for adults, as well as for mothers and those in adolescence.

Let’s look at maternal health. 78% of those who screen for postpartum depression don’t get mental health treatment. Numerous changes in daily routines, emotions, and activities accompany the journey of motherhood, rendering it one of the most profound shifts in a woman's life. It's a transition that can lead to depression in up to 20% of women. As this new phase begins, Woebot is prepared to engage in brief, supportive conversations with mothers, providing them with a platform to navigate and discuss their emotions.

As far as adolescent mental health (13-17 years old), 44% of high school students reported having “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” in the past year. Woebot for Adolescents emulates the clinical session process, employing excellent conversational design and the familiar smartphone interface to facilitate deep engagement among teenagers. Drawing on decades of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) research and proprietary technology, Woebot for Adolescents is prepared for conversations at any time, regardless of the hour. This seems very important to this age bracket, as a staggering 81% of messages from teenagers are sent during non-standard provider hours, when conventional care options are unavailable.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Woebot is available in a mobile app, so it is always available at someone’s fingertips. The app can track the user’s goals and help them formulate personalized exercises and ways to practice dealing with their struggles to help them achieve those goals.

Woebot also has a “mood check” feature, where the user has the ability to report how they are feeling, whether it’s sad, anxious, angry, etc. and talk to the trained AI about what they are feeling at that moment to either help them calm down, learn a new coping mechanism, or just track their feelings in a journal. Woebot will never offer unsolicited advice or diagnose any individual. It is meant to act as an aid to one’s mental health and not as a doctor.

HOW DOES WOEBOT COMPARE TO A HUMAN?

There are both positive sides and negative sides to replacing human-to-human conversations with human-to-AI conversations.

One common concern with this sort of technology is how it might fall short of a human touch, which many people look to in times of need and support. Although AI might not be able to entirely replicate that intimate human experience, Woebot does its best. One way this is done is through individualizing treatment and conversations. One of the core beliefs of the Woebot company is that “people are fundamentally dynamic and fluid, and constantly changing.” The AI component of Woebot embodies this, responding to individuals in ways tailored to their own unique situations and feelings. Woebot also utilizes natural language processing, allowing the user to describe their feelings and circumstances in their own words, without having to answer specific questions or choose from a list of prompts or prewritten answers. Further, to mimic a human relationship and provide the best user experience, Woebot stores previous conversations with perfect accuracy, so the user does not have to repeat themselves or retell sometimes very sensitive and personal stories. In this way, Woebot has the potential to surpass that of a human memory.

A concern that often arises with human-to-human counseling is that of privacy. This can be thought of in two ways. In one sense, privacy might refer to an individual being afraid their sensitive, personal information will be shared or leaked in some way. For this reason, compliance with privacy regulations is often emphasized and required. This is not an issue with Woebot. The company is committed to protecting the privacy of users and boasts a variety of certifications, including its authorized HIPAA compliance.

Another way privacy can be a concern for human-to-human counseling is by way of being vulnerable. Regardless of who the counselor is or how indifferent they might seem to a given situation, sharing personal stories and sensitive information with another human is an incredibly vulnerable process, and it can cause patients to be uncomfortable and hinder their treatment. If individuals feel they will be judged or don’t trust their counselor enough to share personal information, they might miss out on potentially helpful techniques and strategies to cope with their feelings and struggles. Woebot can be beneficial in this way because it is completely indifferent. The patient has no human staring them in the face, potentially causing them to feel uncomfortable. Rather, Woebot is similar to their own personal diary where users can share their innermost thoughts and feelings, which only they can see. This has the potential to give many the boost to open up and receive counseling in ways they wouldn’t have with a human therapist.

Lastly, Woebot is available when humans are not. According to Woebot Health Analysis, 77% of conversations take place outside of work hours. It’s difficult for people who are working daytime hours or are in school to get away from their jobs and duties to attend counseling sessions, especially on a regular basis. In this way, Woebot is able to provide counseling that fits the individuals’ schedule, no matter how busy or hectic it might be!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR WOEBOT?

Woebot has a strong foundation built on loads of professional research. Because of this strong foundation and its wide accessibility, Woebot truly has the potential to transform the way the world looks at mental health counseling.

Woebot is already doing a lot of things right, and the next step is to advance into other areas of counseling. For example, the team is currently in research to expand their services to those looking to manage substance use. It has not been said when this feature will become available, but one can imagine how powerful of a tool this will be for someone trying to overcome substance abuse—being able to have a counselor who will never judge them on call 24/7, whenever they are struggling. This could offer opportunities to people who would never have access to this type of training or counseling.

Given the growing rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and substance abuse, the importance of mental health needs no underline or special announcement. The mental health of individuals is something that cannot be taken lightly, and caring for one’s own mental health and the mental health of others has come to the forefront of society. Woebot is using the power of AI for good, to transform the way we think about mental health treatment going forward. Woebot has the potential to not only change lives, but it has the power to save lives as well, putting hope at the fingertips of individuals.

A BONUS STORY

Maria, like many people, was struggling with horrible anxiety during the pandemic. She tried many different methods of dealing with it, but ultimately, she was able to make progress with Woebot. Check out her story:

*Woebot for Adults is a non-prescription medical device under FDA enforcement discretion; it is not evaluated, cleared or approved by FDA. It is not a prescription product. It is not intended to diagnose, monitor, treat or prevent any disease. It may be considered as an adjunct to clinical care, it does not replace clinical care.*