The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in treating depression nods to more pressing concerns in the mental healthcare system that need to be addressed.
The psychiatry department of announced its plans to carry out a clinical trial to revolutionize the prescription process for antidepressants. Running through the data of over one million people, the algorithm of the digital tool, PETRUSHKA, aims to match patients diagnosed with depression with the most effective, personalized antidepressant treatment.
Researchers consider this tool to be innovative. While PETRUSHKA excels in bringing ease and accessibility to mental healthcare, its limitations must not be ignored.
In this day and age, the use of AI as a tool in medicine is hardly ground-breaking—medical professionals such as nurses have been using AI to enhance the quality of care given to patients since at least the 1970s. Afterall, AI and digital tools have proven to be faster, more efficient, and superior at storing data than humans.
When secondary professional opinions are unavailable, AI can lend a beneficial hand in legitimizing a doctor’s prescription or validating how a patient is feeling. It’s a helpful tool, but it should not be granted total authority.
The systematic approach employed by AI algorithms does not encompass the whole scope of mental health treatment.
AI falls short when it comes to taking into account the subtle nuances in patients’ body language and how they communicate about themselves and their symptoms. Contingencies in their medical histories also demand a highly subjective examination.
What patients would benefit from is a holistic approach that tends to all aspects of their personhood, beyond their basic needs.
The heavy implementation of AI over real-world practice also displaces the pivotal role of doctors in the mental healthcare system. Though AI might deliver the final prescription, the onus is still on medical professionals to be well-educated and for government officials to invest in mental health training.
If the main reason for using AI to treat mental health conditions is because psychiatrists are only prescribing four of the thirty known antidepressants, then they, rather than the machines, should be held accountable for learning about the rest.
Ultimately, AI is only useful if placed on top of a sound foundation of treatment practices. If these trials are successful, AI might just be the future of a more seamless and approachable mental healthcare system.
Regardless, one thing must still remain clear: doctors are irreplaceable, and they cannot take a backseat. Patients shouldn’t have to choose between individualized attention and care from doctors and adequate mental health treatment.
—Journal Editorial Board
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