Alexa could soon become your psychiatrist

According to WHO, 45% of the world’s population live in countries that have less than one psychiatrist per 100 000 inhabitants, and France is not much better. Time, then, to seek out alternatives…

…some of which are rather futuristic. Some day soon, patients who are isolated without the possibility of being directed to psychologist or even GP consultation could benefit from a chatbot, or conversational agent. Those in need could find themselves discussing their personal or mental health problems with an AI, a little like speaking to Alexa or Siri.

These communicative electronic agents are particularly attractive to institutions seriously lacking in staff, such as nursing homes. The chatbots could turn out to be extremely useful in stimulating the minds of our elderly.

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry published a review of eight studies about using chatbots in psychiatry. It revealed some promising outcomes, indicating these conversational agents offer potential benefits and could actually be "effective and pleasant tools"

1 Aditya Nrusimha Vaidyam et coll.: Chatbots and conversational agents in mental health: a review of the psychiatric landscape. Canadian J Psy; 2019; 64(7): 456–464.