YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Artificial intelligence is a useful tool, but it’s no substitute for human connections or relationships, according to Mahoning Valley mental health professionals.
“It can be a helpful supplement, but it is a poor substitute for the healthy human relationships and the professional care,” HaSheen Wilson, CEO of New Visions Behavioral Health Services in Youngstown, says of AI. “The goal should be to use technology in a way that supports human flourishing, not one that quietly replaces it.”
Still, some people are using the technology in place of therapists, friends or romantic partners. Mental health professionals find that troubling.
Laura Domitrovich, director of youth programs at the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, refers to a quote she found while conducting research.
“It says, ‘AI is driven by algorithms, not empathy,’” she says. “So an AI therapist is really not a replacement for a human therapist, because, again, they’re driven by algorithms. They’re not getting a true, individualized therapeutic response that’s housed in empathy.”
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Corinne Milentijevic, executive director of PATH Therapy Services in Boardman, points out the significance of relationships in therapy.
“I would say that one of the most important things in therapy is the therapeutic alliance with your therapist,” she says. “You form the healthiest relationship with that person, because your therapist is never going to hurt you. You know your therapist has altruistic goals for you…”
She counsels teenagers and refers to one whom she helped to cope with anger in appropriate ways.
“You can’t do that with AI and you can’t do that with a computer,” Milentijevic says. “She trusts me and she can feel that. There’s so much more to a therapeutic session than just a back and forth dialogue. She feels my trust. She knows it’s a safe space in my office to be able to do this with me.”
Lori Colian, executive director at the Columbiana County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, says artificial intelligence doesn’t have the knowledge and skills a clinician does.
“That makes me nervous, because people might rely on AI instead of seeking professional help and that could be pretty dangerous,” she says.
HEEDING WARNING SIGNS
AI won’t pick up on the warning signs of someone who is considering harming themselves or in an abusive relationship, for example.
“But a clinician, when they’re meeting with you in person, might pick up on it and be able to implement some things…,” Colian explains. “There’s no way [AI does that], because you’re not dealing with a human. There’s no intervention. There’s no way to take somebody to the next step.”
The technology also tends to agree with its user and validates what the user wants. A therapist may challenge a client, encouraging them to think differently, she adds.
Domitrovich of the Trumbull board believes younger people are more at risk because they use technology more and are more familiar with it. But it’s not just young people who are vulnerable. People want to be accepted and not judged and AI is nonjudgmental, she adds.
SOCIAL ISOLATION
Those experiencing loneliness, social isolation and social anxiety may find AI chatbots appealing “because whereas normal human interaction can feel very scary and cause a lot of anxiety, their needs are being met through these chatbots, which are just very accepting, very nonjudgmental” and agreeable with the user.
She leads a group of professionals that’s focused on loneliness and isolation and members are discussing AI.
“I think one of the things that we have to – and this is one of the things that our group talks about – be working on is identifying individuals who are particularly vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation and trying to find opportunities for them to have true connection and human interaction,” Domitrovich says.
She learned from one of her mentors years ago that all bad behavior stems from unmet need. “And we, as humans, have a basic human need for connection and belonging, and if we’re not meeting that human need in traditional ways, people now have an option that’s readily available 24/7. But again, overuse of it can lead to some real negative outcomes.”
GOOD AND BAD
Wilson of New Vision says there is some emerging evidence that AI companions may be associated with better well-being for some lonely or socially vulnerable users and some mental health chatbot studies show a small to moderate distress reduction.
“However, the danger is when a tool becomes a substitute for the kinds of human connection, accountability and clinical judgment that people actually need,” he says. That could result in social withdrawal, emotional dependency, manipulation by platforms, privacy concerns or biased or unsafe advice.
“And there’s some false impressions that a chatbot is equivalent to a licensed therapist or a healthy reciprocal relationship,” Wilson explains.
The American Psychological Association has warned that wellness bots are not a replacement for mental health care and that use of AI by adolescents can interfere with social and emotional development, he adds.
Wilson says young people are more immersed in technology.
“And according to Pew Research, they found that 64% of U.S. teens report using chatbots,” he explains.
That’s three out of every 10 households, Wilson adds.
Milentijevic agrees about risks to teens’ social and emotional development. The brain’s frontal lobe, which helps with reasoning, doesn’t fully develop until a person is between 24 and 26, she says. She acknowledges AI’s appeal to introverts and those with anxieties. It’s less intimidating to use a chatbot than to sit across from a person during a counseling session.
“We get brave behind a screen,” Milentijevic says. “We’re not so brave in front of a person, but those skills are so important to have.”
She believes many young people lack social skills.
“Wonderful things came out of Covid, regarding computers and AI, but I think bad things came out of it too,” Milentijevic says. “People who enjoyed being by themselves remained by themselves. They learned how to live by themselves and the world accommodated that.”
People who used to have to leave home and interact with people to buy groceries and pick up their medication no longer have to.
“I think so many people are lonely, and so many people need some sort of interaction, and it’s so much easier to do with an inanimate object,” the Path executive director says.
It’s not all bad. Clinicians at her office use AI for documentation, allowing them to complete the task in 70% less time. That frees up their weekends and after-hours, Milentijevic notes. Clinicians ask clients’ permission before using the tool.
Colian recognizes positive uses for AI too. Children can use it for research. People may use it to help draft letters and emails. But it’s important people educate themselves, she adds. Also, AI doesn’t always provide factual information.
TALK TO CHILDREN
Regarding AI use among children, Domitrovich urges parents to talk to them about safety and ensure they use the technology in a healthy and balanced way.
“Individuals are sharing very personal and sensitive information with this technology, and again, without adequate safeguards and legislation in place, we don’t always know what these companies are doing with that information,” she explains.
New Vision’s Wilson acknowledges that AI is part of society and mental health professionals can’t ignore it.
“One of the things that we talk about at New Vision Behavioral Health Services is, how do we humanize technology and realizing that it does play a part,” he says. “It does play a role, but it is not a substitute.”
