Apps for Therapy - The Promise & Perils-View Presentation Slides

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The document, "Apps for Therapy: The Promise & Perils" by Manu Suresh Sharma, provides an overview of the evaluation and distinctions between therapy apps powered by artificial intelligence, focusing on their benefits and limitations. The paper presents a comprehensive agenda, discussing how these apps, particularly those using chatbots, function, their potential efficacy, and their limitations.<br /><br />**Evaluation and Differences**: The document emphasizes the distinction between chatbot and non-chatbot therapy apps, underlining how AI-powered apps work. Chatbots are classified into those following pre-defined rules and those using natural language processing (NLP) to offer more dynamic responses.<br /><br />**Promise**: Therapy apps like Woebot, Wysa, and Youper show promise in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, with studies highlighting improvements in users' mental health. Evidence suggests these apps can increase accessibility to mental health support, providing immediate, low-cost assistance and engaging platforms for practicing therapeutic skills.<br /><br />**Perils**: Several limitations are noted, including lack of personalization, absence of human empathy, and a limited clinical scope unsuitable for severe conditions. There are concerns about privacy, data security, and the lack of non-verbal cues in therapeutic communication. Moreover, without real-time crisis intervention, chatbots cannot offer immediate assistance in emergencies.<br /><br />**Conclusion**: While therapy apps have improved accessibility and show preliminary effectiveness, significant challenges remain. They lack the nuanced understanding of human therapists, face data privacy concerns, and are not suitable for complex cases. Integration with traditional care and extensive research is crucial to enhance efficacy and engagement. The document calls for further research, including randomized controlled trials, to optimize these digital interventions.

Keywords

therapy apps

artificial intelligence

chatbots

mental health

natural language processing

accessibility

data privacy

personalization

crisis intervention

randomized controlled trials