The (AI) therapist is in: Can chatbots boost mental health?

Patients are turning to chatbots like ChatGPT and Woebot as mental health resources are stretched but rights groups warn against privacy breaches and harm to vulnerable users. — 123rf.com

Mental health counsellor Nicole Doyle was stunned when the head of the US National Eating Disorders Association showed up at a staff meeting to announce the group would be replacing its helpline with a chatbot.

A few days after the helpline was taken down, the bot – named Tessa – would also be discontinued for providing harmful advice to people in the throes of mental illness.