Chatbots, artificial intelligence in its current infancy state, are helping men open up about their problems. Men are typically less likely to seek help for their mental health issues than women, before sadly taking their own lives at times. This is why chatbots can play an important role, where men can talk about their problems without the fear of judgement.
Results from a British research showed that men are more three times more likely to confide in an AI chatbot about their life, love, and mental wellbeing.
A number of chatbots and applications which deal with mental wellbeing have been developed. Using data from users, the machine learns to identify patterns of negative behavior and identify high risks factors to enable different types of interventions.
Read the full article here on The Telegraph: Why AI is the new frontier in the battle to treat the male mental health crisis
Analysis:
Across different cultures, boys were brought up not to display ‘weaker’ emotions like sadness, and were encouraged to hide vulnerabilities. It becomes a shame for males to admit that they have problems, and many are reluctant to step forward and seek professional help for their emotional or mental health struggles.
While technology is part of a solution, it should not be the only one. These technologies are still in nascent stages, and may not be as effective in channeling the right help,\ or detect issues. In other words, human interventions are still irreplaceable.
To fight the stigma against males seeking help, prominent male personalities have been speaking up about their experiences. That starts a cultural shift as the public becomes more well-informed that mental health problems are not gender-specific and does not discriminate across gender or race or any lines. It will affect anyone, of any profile, and it is not a personal weakness to be ashamed of.
Technology, together with cultural shift of perceptions, helps to increase access to the first step of care, which is self-awareness of the issue and being ready to seek therapy.
Questions for personal evaluation:
- What more can be done to encourage positive help-seeking behaviors?
- What are the downsides of relying on technology to increase access to mental health care?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘paradigm’: a pattern or model.
- ‘solidarity’: unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group.
- ‘conflate’: combine (two or more sets of information, texts, ideas, etc.) into one
Picture credits: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blur-close-up-code-computer-546819/