More and more people confide their emotional state to a chatbot asking for advice. Danila De Stefano, CEO of Unebravo: “The IA can become a bridge, the programmers interviews professionals”.
In recent years the mental health It emerged as one of the main areas of need in the Italian population. In a high necessity picture they are above all young people to contribute to a new way of thinking about therapy. More than any other generation ask that emotions, fragility and inconvenience be recognized and faced without shame.
This is what it also emerges from the first MINDEX – The Mental Wellness Barometer of Italians, Report made by Unabravo according to which 43% of children between 18 and 29 years old He believes that something is truly changing in the perception of care of one’s mental health, with a firm awareness than the therapy is not “the last beach” for those who have no other routes out of high complex situations but one daily tool for growth and wellness. 46% of young people consider it a useful resource to take care of themselves, much more than in the past.
Despite this generational opening, the path to a truly accessible mental health without prejudices is still dotted with obstacles, especially among adults. The still too rooted belief lies in the idea that Ask for help is synonymous with weakness: according to the Unabravo report 8 out of 10 Italians see the need for psychological support as a sign of fragility. Many begin a path of therapy only when “they can’t take it anymore”, as the over 1,600 psychologists involved in the investigation tell. In short, emotional awareness exists but it is partial. 82% of Italians say they know how they feel, but 90% of psychologists respond: In reality, few patients know how to give a name to their malaise.
Artificial intelligence and mental health. In the face of a growing need, support tools are also evolving. The spread of online psychotherapy, already widely consolidated after the pandemic, are joined today Technological solutions more recent, which integrate artificial intelligence into different stages of the therapeutic path: from the first contact with the patient to the processing of questionnaires, from automated listening via chatbot to the customization of the support paths.
These are tools still in the diffusion phase, but which begin to be perceived as an integral part of the future of mental health, at least from a part of the population. In particular, young people show greater opening: 52% of interviewees between 18 and 29 years old believe that the IA can improve psychological assistance. A trust that intertwines with the habit of living and communicating in digital environments, where immediate access and the possibility of anonymity can represent a starting point.
confidences to a car. More and more people turn to chatbots To talk about oneself. Not only therefore to look for quick answers on the best place to go on vacation or on data processed at work, but often also to question artificial intelligence on how to better face a delicate moment in the family, from separation to a toxic relationship, from an anxiety to a complicated relationship with food.
Confidences on one’s emotional state Often they are driven by the need for a quick and silent comparison, with a machine that cannot judge, especially on family and relational issues. It is no coincidence that, according to the investigation Mindex of the Unabravo, The main reason that pushes the Italians to start a therapeutic path is precisely linked to the relational sphere: 46% say that difficulties in personal relationships are the aspect of life most influenced by their mental state. When relationships falter, we seek help. And today, among the first interfaces to which we contact, there is often an artificial intelligence.
Threat or occasion? But how much are these tools prepared to offer authentic support and how much do you risk relying on something inaccurate, impersonal, even dangerous? The CEO of the Unebravo platform Danila De Stefano replied to these questions: «I remember that when with the platform we started to propose the Online therapyalready in that case The idea had aroused many perplexities. Today it is finally considered a legitimate and complementary alternative to the mode in presence and has made psychotherapy more accessible, breaking down numerous obstacles, “he explains.
«Now we are faced with a new transformation: The rapid entry of artificial intelligence into the field of mental health. In Unebravo we observe this change with curiosity and openness », continues De Stefano, underlining the need to understand the evolutions of technological reality to be able to understand the exact potential and any threats.
“It’s important recognize both opportunities and challenges that the ia brings with it. The debate on the use of artificial intelligence in psychotherapy is still at the beginning, and is often based on opinions or pre -existing evidence, which rightly underline how much the human relationship – in particular the therapeutic alliance – is central in the clinical path “.
The question, however, seems not to be only on how much the IA will be able to take the place of the therapists: «The real question is: how we can develop tools based on artificial intelligence that are ethical, safe and effectiveand that can expand access to psychological support? », De Stefano underlines.
The first experiments. In the meantime, the research moves. The New England Journal of Medicine – Nejm section ai has published an RCT (randomized controlled study) entitled Randomized Trial of A Generative Ai Chatbot for Mental Health Treatmentin which the effectiveness of Therabota generative chatbot based on artificial intelligence.
The preliminary results show Clinically significant reductions in the symptoms of depression, anxiety and eating disorders after 4 and 8 weeks of use, in the participants who interacted with the chatbot compared to the control group.
Danger danger? Despite the legitimate attention to the possible dangers of such an intertwining between personal sphere and technology, experts tend to make us reflect on the opportunities of a scenario of this type. The idea is not to replicate human empathy But to imagine new ways to bring those who, due to geographical or cultural economic reasons, today manage to take very little care of their mental health.
“The IA can never replace the essence of psychotherapy: human contact,” explains De Stefano. «Just as online therapy has not eliminated the one in presence – still preferred today by about 60% of people – In the same way, digital tools will never erase the relationship with the psychologist. The IA may If anything, to represent a bridge, a complementary resource ».
Speaking of risks, however, the doctor specifies: «If you can speak of dangers, the greatest one is perhaps not so much the technology itself but whoever designs it. Mental health professionals must be guided their development in a responsible way: “I therefore invite not to underline only the risks but to be part of this revolution, which alternatively will remain in the hands of the other type of professionals”, concludes De Stefano.
