Social Robots set for a role in Mental Health Treatment

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Social Robots set for a role in Mental Health
Treatment
The discussion about mental health issues has
been a taboo for a long time and the situation
has not changed even today. So many people,
because of the fear of judgment and social stigma
lying around mental health are unable to visit a
therapist to seek support. For such reasons, the
mental healthcare practitioners and developers
have joined hands to integrate technology in
providing solutions to this grave issue by
combining artificial intelligence with
emotional intelligence. It is a new concept which
has now become synonymous to talking to a mental
healthcare professional in real life.
The introduction of robotics technology in mental
healthcare industry has changed many parameters.
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What is mental health chatbot? In simple words,
it is a clinically proven AI-powered chatbot
created through a set of intelligently executed
algorithms and instructions that offer an
interface similar to an online chatbot usually
found on websites. It has been developed with a
motto to offer primary mental healthcare
facilities for people who usually find it
inaccessible. Such AI chatbots are designed to
hold a conversation with individuals who need
help in sorting out their mental health issues.
There are so many people who never receive
proper treatment when they require it because of
various reasons including heavy costs, fear of
judgment and a denial mode about their suffering
from these mental health illnesses. To address
these concerns, robotics technology in mental
healthcarehas beenintroduced. This enabled the
people suffering from mental health issues to
come out of their nutshell and talk to these
mental health talkbots. These social robots in
the mental health domain provide solutions based
on CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). These
talkbots talk to an individual and offer positive
solutions in the primary phase, they also gather
information to help the mental health
practitioner analyze an individuals mental
health condition. These chatbots are made using
the concept of Natural Language Processing (NLP)
which enables them to understand the conversation
in human language.
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These mental health chatbots provide a lot of
anonymity and 247 availability. They have
changed the role of social robots in mental
health treatments. With such possibilities, the
individuals suffering from mental health issues
like depression, anxiety, and other problems can
talk to these chatbots and get primitive
solutions. With the introduction of these
AI-powered therapists mental healthcare has
become more accessible. In addition to this,
because of the constant availability, you can
talk to the mental health chatbot as and when
required. As a consequence, the management of
mental health issues has become a lot easier
than it was initially. Moreover, face-to-face
therapy becomes essential only when the issue is
more serious. Additionally, they help them keep
track of the patient and notify them in case of
an emergency. Although, a fact should be made
very clear here, that these mental health
chatbots cannot replace a mental healthcare
practitioner. It can merely be used to gather
primary information and treat negative thoughts
based on the concept of CBT. Wrapping it
up With the advancement in science and
technology, the introduction of AI in various
sectors including mental healthcare has been
a game-changer. Until certain years, AI was just
a concept. In the last few years, AI has been
successfully implemented in various fields. In
the upcoming future, these social robots could
prove to be very useful for both the patient and
the medical practitioner in the mental
healthcare sector.
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Reference URL https//mentalhealthchatbot.wordpr
ess.com/2021/02/10/social-robots-set-for-a-role-in
-mental-he alth-treatment/