I ran across a headline recently: Pros and cons of using TikTok for mental health advice. You read that right. Mental health advice from social media? There are those who might view this as similar to hosting an AA meeting in a bar. But, jumping to conclusions is untoward. The article lists the advantages as "affordability and accessibility." It is lauded for "raising awareness," and there is some suggestion that people may be more willing to view such information privately rather than attend an appointment with someone.
But, there are warnings of unlicensed and unqualified people on social media meting advice. There is the probability of misinformation, which is commonly acknowledged. Much of what the World Wide Web contains is garbage and everyone knows it. The author's article concludes that there are better sources of help, including: "mental health helplines, support groups or counselling."
So, good to know.
Elsewhere on the Internet, it has been suggested that teenagers today are facing an array of challenges. Thank goodness there were no challenges for us teens back in my day. But I digress. There are those who see "widespread use of digital technology" as part of the problem for teens. Just to be clear here, they are using that tech to peruse the vast wasteland of the Internet and social media.
This article concludes that studies (one is cited - Michigan) could lead us to conclude that "the influence of digital tools and gadgets is the reason for teens to be in a downward spiral of depression and hopelessness." There is the suggestion that teen detachment and dissatisfaction or unhappiness is rampant, and the rates of complaint have doubled in recent years.
Ok, so Internet and social media - not helpful.
The Michigan study includes a great many other troubling facts. It says that the "use of marijuana and hallucinogens . . . reach(ed) all-time highs in 2022." There are more specifics cited with vaping and dope. The bottom line is that "marijuana and hallucinogen use as well as marijuana and nicotine vaping significantly increased in the past five years." I cannot understand that. With all the misinformation about "legalizing pot" (pot remains illegal throughout America) why are so many people doing it? Sarcasm, apologies.
Ever heard of an algorithm? They get a lot of blame in the world of computers. They deserve a lot of credit too. In fact, it is fair to say that there would be no tech revolution, no era of information, no age of enlightenment without them. They are the instructions that computers follow to accomplish tasks. Though I thus praise them, some are not so admirable.
We hear that some people believe big computing uses algorithms to steer us. If we do an Internet search for wine glasses, the ads on every website we visit in coming weeks will persistently be for wine glasses (trips, blue jeans, lawyers, you name it). But some contend such steering is unbiased, pure, and helpful. No sinister steering or undue influence intended or accomplished.
Well, why did I read the stories cited above about mental health, tick tock, and more? Why did I read a story from Fortune about parents consuming toys and the efforts to integrate mental health into those toys? The answer is that I suddenly had a great many mental health stories in my daily news feed. Imagine that.
Well, I read an article on the New Statesman about artificial intelligence and mental health. That is where it all started. That led me to another on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) about AI revolutionizing mental health diagnosis. They have a whole page devoted to the mental health questions of various groups. It is new, but not that new, this 2021 article attests to that. And there are both supporters and doubters. So, read a mental health story, and suddenly you are swimming in mental health stories.
Should we be turning to AI and chatbots for mental health?
One gentleman has alleged that an AI Chatbot encouraged him to violence. Others have provided less-then-stellar advice (told someone with weight challenges to "count calories," not a widely admired weight loss process though it does work). There are examples of less-than-stellar performance elsewhere in medicine. Another of the weight loss examples is here.
Just in case you are Stadler or Waldorff and want to scream about this being a workers' compensation blog, know that workplace health is a persistent issue. The well-being of employees impacts the occurrence of injury as well as the propensity for remediation and recovery. The mental well-being of management is also crucial, patently so, in all aspects of the job, safety, and return to work.
There is evidence that these AI bots are becoming part of the workplace experience. Forbes reports workers are taking their emotional health into their own hands with these AI bots and other tools. If I give mental health advice or dietary advice, I am likely to be prosecuted. What happens when bots render such advice about medicine, the law, or beyond?
