Chatbot for talk therapy — A Journey Part 1.
Master Chief has Cortana, Michael Knight has KITT, curious three year olds have SIRI. But who do you have?
Talking to ourselves is something we’ve done since ancient times, talking to algorithms is relatively new.
Already 30 years ago, those working with and in psychiatry began to reflect on how we would be able to meet a growing need for support, especially in geographically remote places where depopulation has led to less accessible primary care and psychiatry. Research on digital platforms, chatbots and help forums have grown. If you've ever googled depression in the '00s, then you've probably landed on a self-help forum.
With a plethora of digital services offering telemedicine and therapy, some of what we feared 10 years ago has been resolved, while other concerns we have only intensified.
Concerns that have come true are patient's integrity and data being compromised after a number of psychological apps that have sold the patient's data without their permission. Just to name a few.
Even though telemedicine has become increasingly common and increasing in acceptance, there are still financial and emotional barriers for some individuals to take the step of seeking help, and those seeking help risk being on long waiting lists as there is poor collaboration between different health care providers (at least in the context of Sweden)
Too sick for primary care, too healthy for specialist care
Sometimes individuals simply get stuck in a health care loop. They feel too ill to have full emotional and physical function, but are too healthy to receive more comprehensive measures or referrals to outpatient care, especially when it comes to mild depression or anxiety.
For these individuals, there are few if any resources or actions. The health care system relies on these individuals to govern their own mental health and to seek help if they get worse. Deterioration is almost always the case as governing your own health without tools is near impossible.
Worsening of ones mental health leaves the health care system even more clogged, as mild symptom become severe, suicidal ideation becomes suicidal thoughts and actions.
Can a chatbot be a solution as an intermediary for vulnerable people?
The question is: How do you digitize the human response when a human is not available?
Answer: It is not possible! You can’t replace a smile or a warm hand on the shoulder with a digital tool, and let me be clear, I do NOT mean telemedicine, I refer to chatbot technology. Regardless of technology, it is a human meeting a human.
A chatbot is a proxy of that, and sometimes a really bad one.
But, and a really big BUT: even though you can’t replace a human therapist, through chatbot technology you can digitize the tools and wisdom that a practitioner can offer.
Talking to myself is my special skill.
For 10 years now, chatbots have been part of what I call my big hobby. It can’t deny the fact that I have always been more comfortable around machines than humans, which those who know me would never believe as I have no lack of social skills or empathy in any way.
The truth is that my approach to algorithms is a bit unorthodox. I see algorithms everywhere, I see human behavior as an algorithm, and thus, these lively conversations with chatbots become equally real to me as any face to face conversation with a its developer.
Sooner or later, maybe it (i.e. chatbots) will be deemed artificial intelligence , but for now it is just advanced puppetry with varying quality.
Chatbot developers are imaginative people who have become experts in talking to themselves.
Currently, I have logged thousands of hours talking to chatbots, and published about twenty via different platforms. I’ve been experimenting and exploring, and now it’s time to move beyond my safety zone and build something that is more advanced and sustainable. Something that can help others.
In February 2020, I submitted an application to the Innovation Fund at Region West Gotaland with the hope of getting a chatbot funded, or rather a prototype where funding will primarily free me as an organisational developer and give me time to sit and code. With great pleasure I opened the email announcing that my project had been funded and an exciting journey has started.
It’s not going to be “another damn app”, the goal is to make something out of the box. What that is? Will be unwraped in Parts 2–5.
