The Promises and Challenges of AI-Facilitated Mental Health Care

Abstract

Mental health is an increasingly critical issue that demands attention. With the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across various domains, AI-facilitated mental health care is particularly promising and warrants further exploration in healthcare settings. This review provides insights into the current state of AI-facilitated mental health care, identifying both its potential benefits and the challenges that need to be addressed. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when access to traditional mental health services was limited due to social distancing rules and other restrictions, the potential of AI to facilitate mental health care effectively showed. Despite the promise of AI in mental health care, several challenges remain. The lack of transparency in many algorithms, often referred to as the “black box” issue, poses significant concerns. Additionally, the rapid development and continuous iteration of numerous mental health applications have resulted in a scarcity of comprehensive data to evaluate their effectiveness. The findings from this review can inform future research and practice in the mental health field, guiding the development of more effective and transparent AI-driven solutions to support mental health conditions.