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Can AI therapists match the gold standard of cognitive therapy?

Researchers at Dartmouth College have found that their AI chatbot demonstrated improvements in participants' symptoms across anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

The latest research reveals how AI chatbots may be a game changer when it comes to offering mental health care in remote areas. (Image for representation: FreePik)

Can AI therapists assist individuals with their mental health? Researchers at Dartmouth College have published the results of their first-ever clinical trial of an AI therapy chatbot. The study, ‘Randomised Trial of Generative AI Chatbot for Mental Health Treatment’, was conducted by a team of researchers affiliated with the Centre for Technology and Behavioural Health (CTBH) at the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.

The study introduced Therabot, an AI-powered chatbot that has been designed to assist with mental health treatment. Therabot is a generative AI chatbot fine-tuned by experts to provide mental health support. Based on the study, Therabot offered care that was comparable to ‘gold-standard cognitive therapy’ and showed improvements across anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

Therabot was trained on evidence-based therapeutic practices and had built-in safety protocols for crises, with oversight from mental health professionals. Participants in the research engaged with the smartphone-based chatbot for an average six hours across an eight-week trial period. This is as good as going to around eight therapy sessions.

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The AI chatbot achieved a 51 per cent reduction in depression symptoms and a 31 per cent reduction in anxiety. Also, users reported high levels of trust and therapeutic alliance. They also reported forming meaningful bonds with the chatbot and were communicating comfortably.

AI assistance in mental health treatments can be a gamechanger. Many parts of the world continue to have stigma attached to mental health care and often lack access to resources. AI may even prove to be more effective and trusting than human therapists.

When it comes to use cases, AI therapists such as Therabot could act as a supplementary therapist to traditional therapists, offering continuous support between sessions. Besides, it could be beneficial for those experiencing early signs of depression. It could also enable mental health care for those in remote and underserved areas with limited access to mental health professionals.