Impact of artificial intelligence on mental health

Abstract

The article analyses how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming mental health care, highlighting current applications, benefits, limitations and ethical challenges. Its aim is to foster an ethical and collaborative approach that ensures access to services and improves clinical outcomes. AI will revolutionize mental health care through innovative tools for diagnosis, treatment and decision support. These tools improve access to services through personalized interventions tailored to individual needs, reducing disparities and removing barriers. Notable applications include AI-based chatbots, such as Replika, Wysa, Woebot and Elomia, which use natural language processing to offer cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques. However, they have limitations such as the inability to understand the emotional nuances of human language and their reliance on predefined scripts. This advance raises ethical challenges, such as data privacy, algorithmic bias and lack of transparency. There is also a risk of excessive dependence on algorithmic predictions, which could compromise clinical decisions. To mitigate these challenges, it is essential to develop regulatory and ethical frameworks, as well as to encourage user participation in the design and implementation of these technologies. Despite the challenges, AI has the potential to democratize access to mental health services and improve clinical outcomes through faster diagnoses and personalized treatments. Collaboration between developers, professionals and patients is crucial to ensure that AI applications are fair, transparent and user-centred, contributing to a more equitable and effective health system.