Smartphones Could Take the Place of Your Therapist
So your cell phone has replaced your alarm clock; it has taken the place of your calculator, your encyclopedia, your stereo, your camera and your road atlas. Next could be your therapist.
Researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine believes that a phone is capable of monitoring your mood to help treat issues such as depression and keep an eye on your diligence to take medication. In psychology, a smartphone could, conceivably, replace weekly therapy sessions, and potentially even prevent depression by detecting symptoms and offering possible solutions.
The "virtual human therapist" would notice a tendency for depression by monitoring a person's location, activity level, social context and mood. If your usual frequency of phone calls and emails decreases, the "Mobilyze!" app would interpret such a circumstance as likely isolation and would prompt you to call or see friends.
"By prompting people to increase behaviors that are pleasurable or rewarding, we believe that Mobilyze! will improve mood," said David Mohr, director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at NU. "It creates a positive feedback loop. Someone is encouraged to see friends, then enjoys himself and wants to do it again. Ruminating alone at home has the opposite effect and causes a downward spiral."
In a similar way, there could be software that interacts with electronic prescription bottles and notify a user if the daily dose of an anti-depressant was not taken. The researchers also imagine virtual coaches to teach teenagers social skills in social applications and helping cancer survivors cope with stress.
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If your smart phone can replace you therapist you probably don't need a one.
Good thing I'm sane enough to think it's a stupid idea.
I'm all for people not suffering and being healthier in general, but as a Psychologist, I'm insulted that my work is compared to such a shallow set of by-the-book reactions.
You: "I need a therapist"
Siri "Here's an app"
You "Why is it called HAL?"
I was just thinking over weekend while was Googling for information. Used to go to friends and library etc. to get the same info. At least some interaction with people. Now you don't need anyone, just Google the things you need and buy online. And now even therapy session is via AI? Close yourself between 4 walls and live that way.. Sad..
The term "Behavioral Intervention Technologies " alone is scary...
Edvinasm you are dead right about that! As a Therapist I have to say I spend most of my time looking at "relationship" as a process with my clients. Another major part is empowering people to take their own responsibility for their live....having a app to take over this responsibility should increase our workload no end.
Skynet era is near...
This is dumb. Never gonna happen. It's just an application that monitors how much time you spend in one place. What's next, make it call the authorities and get you committed if you do spend too much time in one place? This is so simplistic and ridiculous, I am embarrassed that a School of Medicine (be it a mediocre one) came up with that thing.
And a meteor could hit the earth.
That does not mean it is going to happen. Just that the possibilities are there.
Therapy: Theres an App for that.
You: "I need a therapist"Siri "Here's an app"You "Why is it called HAL?"
GLaDOS: This was a triumph! I'm making a note here: Huge Success.
While I agree some jobs have great use for cell phones I don't carry a cell phone and don't plan on getting one. Leave a message on my home phone and I will get back to you. Being tied down to a digital leash, tracking device is not my idea of being hip or even productive. Don't get started about Facebook.
great now even my phone will start to nag me to move my ass when i just want a peaceful relaxing weekend sleeping
what if your problem is a adiction with electronic devices? what is the app going to tell you? shut me off?
If your smart phone can replace you therapist you probably don't need a one.
meh, most of what a therapist does is listen for key words and makes assumptions based on them... most people dont need one, they just need to go through one to get the drugs they (assuming they have a real problem) need.
people who truly need one is very rare, and if an app can search key words, save a voice chat to make sure you aren't gaming the system, and sends it for review elsewhere and can get you a prescription, that would be gar better than spending 2-300$ for a half to 1 hour session, and having them draw it out as much as they can t get more cash for doing nothing.
yea, if an app can handle the word finding and suggest a prescription, with a real person behind it to make sure you aren't gaming the system (sending them the recordings, not there live) it would be much welcomed.
that said, a phone will never take the place of a calculator with actual buttons, or a real camera. at least for me.
and one last thing, why does all this crap get developed for a phone and not the pc?
This is so stupid.
I see a therapist for monthly follow up appointments, and I love the face to face human interaction. She is clever and funny and can talk to me about what my body is going through without confusing medical terms. If I were to have to use an app for that, I would feel like my therapist doesn't care enough about me to see me for 30mins out of a whole month. It would have an opposite effect on me, I wouldn't feel like I was getting the proper or in-depth enough help. Sometimes it's not about the psycho babble, it's about being able to talk to an individual who understand the inner workings of your mind, and can help you to deal with it and control it.
I'll just argue from a technological standpoint. Artificial Intelligence has not reached a level that can match the human mind. This is despite the fact that we have at our disposal teraflops of computing power. Now, they are saying that they can make an AI that runs on a smartphone that can interpret human emotion.