Re:A therapy chatbot for depression
by webmaven on Wednesday June 07, 2017 @07:10PM
(#14510595)
> The status quo is poor people talk to social contacts (eg, friends, family, church community, etc) while rich people talk to professionals (eg, therapists).
For some people (particularly those who have large extended families), that is indeed the status quo, but for others not so much.
If your home environment is not supportive (you can imagine responses ranging from "everybody gets depressed sometimes, just work harder and things will get better" to "grow a pair"), or even abusive, and you aren't in a position to get professional help, a tool like this (though given various other concerns, perhaps not this specific one) could very well be the only alternative to no treatment at all.
What comes to mind though, isn't an automated therapist per-se, but something closer to the "Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" (from the novel The Diamond Age).
For some people (particularly those who have large extended families), that is indeed the status quo, but for others not so much.
If your home environment is not supportive (you can imagine responses ranging from "everybody gets depressed sometimes, just work harder and things will get better" to "grow a pair"), or even abusive, and you aren't in a position to get professional help, a tool like this (though given various other concerns, perhaps not this specific one) could very well be the only alternative to no treatment at all.
What comes to mind though, isn't an automated therapist per-se, but something closer to the "Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" (from the novel The Diamond Age).