A new paper has been published recently that gives clinicians in the mental health industry a greater insight into utilizing AI in their frontline work. The paper was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in September 2022 and offers clinicians a framework for the most efficient method to implement AI in their work portraying the benefits and various challenges faced by individuals working in mental health who may look to use artificial intelligence. At present, very little information exists on this topic according to the paper. Throughout the paper, several new forms of technology are focused on. By changing the way repetitive tasks are carried out through automation, the workload of clinicians is lessened, and patients are given the tools to progress effectively even between their appointments. Another point of focus in the paper is the proposed integration of tools that aid decision making. One clear advantage of this is the quickened rate of mental health diagnosis using artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence can also be used to train clinicians looking to enter the industry. Alternatively, AI can supplement required skills of the clinician that they have not adopted yet in their stage of education. This may prove critical to the industry that has a clear shortage in therapists and other experts in faucets of mental health. The paper debates that a significant benefit to adopting AI is the free staff time that will be available because of the new artificial intelligence use. With this time, the clinician can place a greater emphasis on the human care they provide to individuals in their care.
The paper advises that the use of AI in this context should act as a supplemental tool for clinicians as opposed to a replacement of their expertise which they have likely spent years mastering in institutions around the world. This is commented on by co-author Shiri Sadeh-Sharvit, Ph.D in a statement provided to FierceHealth. “Help is on the way. There are tools already available to clinicians to use,” Sadeh-Sharvit said. “I do want to assure therapists that we are not going to replace them; we want to add tools to help them do their job better.”
