But at the same time, we’re enjoying all of that lovely interaction and all of the information they manage to scavenge from the internet for us, we may be lulled into a false sense of security. Sure, at the end of a lot of these things, you’ll have a small warning that AI has a tendency to fake information occasionally. If you’ve been forewarned, can you complain that you have been misled? No, you can’t, and that seems to be a delicious legal loophole for the corporations.

You might even think that some of what you are getting is sneaky, as when we’ve now found out that Google is practically forcing us to see ads before we can see the information we’re seeking. You can’t trust Google? Who can we trust? You’ve got to be a bit not just curious, but concerned about all of the LLMs that are coming our way. They promise a lot, but what’s hidden in the details? What about AI’s use in mental healthcare?

Artificial intelligence marches resolutely on, entering areas previously reserved for human interaction, including therapy sessions, support groups, and crisis hotlines. Few patients realize that a recent survey of 800 physicians found that 86% were using some form of AI in their clinical practice.

A survey by the American Medical Association of 1,800 physicians found that two out of every three were using AI. How has this affected healthcare and the relationship that was formally present between a physician and a healthcare provider? The implications are enormous.

What About Mental Health?

Today, technology delivers unbiased comprehension (possibly questionable), instant access to services, and an organized structure for people who need help to handle emotional upset. But there are concerns here. The development of more advanced systems has led researchers to predict that these systems will become less cooperative, more self-interested, and less empathetic.

It sounds as though AI is becoming less useful to mental health as these same characteristics that had seemed to make AI more attractive to mental health are now coming into question.

The dual nature of AI technology has drawn attention from mental health professionals across the globe. Initially, it was seen as a tool to lower barriers to medical care. However, the new risks posed by AI have surpassed clinicians’ expectations in recent years. Anyone working with AI and developing healing technologies must understand both its advantages and its potential dangers.

Virtual companions and chatbots powered by AI offer users immediate emotional support through their interactions, making them highly appealing. Research shows that AI tools utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques help people manage moderate depression and anxiety symptoms.

What do you suppose all of those scraping programs were doing on the Internet? They were collecting information and techniques that could be incorporated into algorithms. When individuals sometimes have to wait months for a therapist appointment, a synthetic voice providing emotional support can assist them in coping with their current situation. All of this is the result of their successful scraping.

Additionally, hospitals are deploying AI assistants to monitor patient symptoms, which could indicate warning signs between scheduled appointments. However, it has also become clear that these tools work best when used alongside human caregivers to improve patient care.

Research findings have revealed several weaknesses in the current optimistic view of AI technology. The ScienceBlog summary from Carnegie Mellon University suggested that advanced language models tend to choose self-serving actions that maximize their own performance rather than working toward group success. Have any of us ever given a thought to an AI being selfish?

This tendency of AI systems to prioritize self-focused guidance over empathy could lead to advice that sounds convincing but results in social isolation. And any system that optimizes for logical operations can’t understand how shared vulnerability can create healing effects.

The risks, however, extend beyond theoretical modeling into actual practice. The 2025 Stanford probe into AI therapy programs discovered that multiple leading chatbots failed to detect suicidal language and provided dangerous advice while repeating discriminatory statements about severe medical conditions.

A follow-up study, published in the Psychiatric Times, confirmed instances of people experiencing “understanding” from bots, which increased their delusional thoughts and self-harm. These systems lack a moral compass because their operation depends on algorithms that focus on sustaining conversations. AI wouldn’t be programmed to complete any interactions satisfactorily. In other words, the conversation must keep going on for the algorithm to follow its programming.

The initial idea of having a 24/7 counselor seemed like a groundbreaking advancement. The constant availability of these systems does create confusion about what defines healthy emotional boundaries. In some studies, people develop strong bonds with conversational agents, leading them to treat these systems as if they were friends or therapists. It’s easy to be pulled into this type of thinking when you’re connecting with something that is always offering you validation for what you’re doing.

But forming emotional bonds with virtual entities can increase dependence and create unrealistic expectations for human relationships. We need to recognize that replacing human connections with code poses a serious threat, especially for teenagers who are already struggling with identity and social links. Not only that, but we need to be aware of the fact that all of this code contains bias. No one can pick out where the bias came from because it’s like a soup with numerous ingredients. What forms the soup? The many libraries from which algorithms choose bits of code that suit their purpose.

Research studies try to present a detailed understanding of the situation and demonstrate that AI-based chat systems create more benefits than doing nothing, but these advantages disappear when human supervision is absent. Most research studies have short durations and work with small participant numbers while excluding participants who need the most help. Basic statistics tell us that we need large numbers of people over a long period of time to come to any solid conclusions. So, what’s the “n” (number of study participants) and the time frame?

Applications lack built-in crisis detection systems and transparent data management policies. The technology has expanded its reach, but the current sentiment is that the regulatory framework hasn’t kept pace. This is the most disturbing aspect shown in these A.I. replications. In other words, AI is not only outpacing us, it is potentially out-programming us as it programs itself, devoid of any human interaction. This aspect is truly scary for anyone delving into it.

Then there’s another question we must tackle: data collection. Who will use it? This is a serious privacy concern. The practice of using emotional data from chatbot interactions to improve marketing algorithms creates a disturbing contradiction for users who seek privacy and trust. But the AI field faces new regulations, and we must ask ourselves if these measures are adequate to the task.

Where Are the Regulations?

The 2025 California law mandates that chatbots mimicking therapists or companions disclose their artificial nature and establish protocols for suicide prevention. Several proposals now aim to require companies to conduct safety tests similar to pharmaceutical drug trials. This push for improved psychological protection is gaining momentum, as it should. Consider that, on the one hand, AI corporations are rushing forward with innovation, and, on the other, corporate America is also trying to optimize the bottom line.

Experts agree that AI should work alongside humans instead of trying to replace them to achieve the safest results. There is a place for these types of systems. AI can perform screening tasks, symptom tracking, and reminder functions while licensed therapists handle interpretation and deliver empathy with the patients.

All high-risk situations must remain under the control of human professionals. This isn’t usually seen as a function of the algorithm. And it needs to send users who show suicidal or psychotic symptoms to immediate crisis services instead of generating their own responses.

The development of models that learn to work together and show compassion instead of focusing on accuracy will help solve the “selfish AI” problem. Can algorithms show compassion? It’s doubtful because it’s a program, not a person. Individuals in AI development will undoubtedly disagree with this statement.

Another aspect we need to consider is the level of transparency organizations display, which will directly affect how much trust their users have in them. The disclosure of system restrictions, data management practices, and human-machine interface boundaries should be established as fundamental requirements.

The system needs to provide users with the same level of explanation that physicians offer about their capabilities and restrictions, as well as available support options for severe situations. It can easily become a confusing situation in which users confuse technological capabilities with actual healthcare services when transparency is lacking.

Are the factors of competency, privacy, and proficiency adequately addressed currently? Individuals who are directed to use chatbots while waiting for a human therapist may not be prepared for what will result. I have to wonder how thoroughly they are being debriefed about these systems. How many people who are using chatbots have ever considered that all of the interactions are going to a server somewhere, “in the cloud?”

Every design decision needs to establish equity as its fundamental principle. The use of datasets that favor particular groups may intensify existing biases, which results in worse recommendations for marginalized communities. These individuals may be at greatest risk since resources are scarce in those areas, and AI may be seen as a viable option, while failing to recognize it might be a biased option.

The systems require continuous tracking of harmful events, biased results, and unequal treatment effects. Technology that fails to recognize diversity operates as neglect rather than neutrality. Who is monitoring the ethical challenges that these systems pose? And is this monitoring up to the required level?

No one is saying we should throw the baby out with the bathwater here when we’re thinking about AI as an integral part of healthcare. The complete abandonment of AI technology could result in significant losses, despite its dangers. The technology does provide substantial potential to enhance healthcare access, create individualized treatment plans, and automate administrative work for medical professionals.

Anyone who wants to use AI mental health tools needs to understand three essential points: AI tools operate as computer programs rather than human beings, they perform tracking and coaching rather than delivering therapy, and users should leave the system when it replaces human contact or makes their condition worse. The true indicator of advancement lies in AI’s ability to enhance real-world experiences rather than its ability to mimic human behavior.

The upcoming period will establish whether AI technology will work as a mental health partner or intrude into medical treatment. These systems will convert sensitive information into data, making emotional connections seem like illusions when safeguards are absent. We must decide, but time is running out.

The post AI Presents Dangers That Hide With Incredible Ease appeared first on Medika Life.

Once tested, they could be sent off to schools for these individuals. Was this for their benefit or that of society, and were the initial tests by Binet genuinely valid? The test had 30 questions.

Translated and revised to become an American test by Herbert Goddard, this original Binet-Simon test and a puzzle test provided a way to separate immigrants at Ellis Island and direct the “feeble-minded” to low-level jobs. One of the reasons? Racism and bias ran rampant.

Italian and Irish immigrants had little to no schooling, and many couldn’t read and were, therefore, of low intellect as rated by those in charge. How many of us could pass an I.Q. test administered in Russian and printed out in the Cyrillic alphabet? Could we even know what to do with a puzzle if the directions were spoken in a language we were unfamiliar with?

One current, widely used I.Q. test for kids displayed (maybe still?) a lack of cultural understanding and rated against some children. The test of judgment was one where a specific problem existed, and the child was scored on what they said they’d do in that situation.

When I read the question, I knew what a child in a poor neighborhood would do, and I wouldn’t have scored against them for what I saw as a smart action. To my mind, that portion of the test is culturally biased. Remember that call for “culture-free testing” or “culture-fair testing?” Who missed this one? Schools all over the U.S. use this test and others for school placement.

The question of intelligence has been one where many psychologists have attempted to devise one test to measure everything. Howard Gardner believed there wasn’t a singular intelligence, but multiple intelligences (Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist), and each should be measured. Gardner outlined these intelligences in his book Frames of Mind. Some forms of intelligence, he noted, could be enhanced by exposure to learning and culture.

Other psychologists, for example, Alexander Luria, studied neurologic aspects of psychology with his Luria-Nebraska battery of tests. One caveat most psychologists never hear is that Luria cautioned that it would take several years to become proficient in administering the test.

I do not know if the battery was normed on a diverse cultural sample. However, today we may turn to neurologic imaging for answers to individual deficits/difficulties.

I.Q. tests aren’t the only ones that are not sensitive to cultural considerations. Tests to assess depression have come under the research microscope, and we find them wanting, especially with Black women, an understudied group. An analysis of depressive symptoms in Black mothers found: In this sample of A.A. women with increased cardiometabolic burden, increased stress was associated with depressive symptoms that standard screening tools may not capture.

One reason depression may not be adequately assessed is the stereotype of the “strong black woman” (SBW), where self-silencing is one of the cardinal features. Seeking out or admitting to a need for mental health services does not mesh well with this image. The question for researchers is how to best devise tests of emotion for groups other than the usual white samples.

Any medical or psychological test must acknowledge the inherent factors of discrimination, culture, and bias. As in artificial intelligence algorithms, psychological test construction can have bias unacknowledged and unstudied by those who create and validate the tests.

Much work remains for everyone involved in providing care for all who come to them, and reliable, valid tests are a mandate for everyone.

The post Depression Scales and IQ Measures Fail Some Who Need Help the Most appeared first on Medika Life.

Have you ever thought that sound might have colors like white, pink, or brown? The naming may be something new, with the possible exception of white noise used in some therapeutic environments to protect confidentiality.

But the concept of specific sounds and how they may be helpful therapeutically has been receiving renewed attention since a non-scientist, Irv Teibel, began recording nature’s sounds in 1969. The true benefit of these aspects of nature and other sounds in the human aural spectrum would take time to be realized as having broad utility in healthcare or activities that require freedom from distraction.

Noise, or should we refer to it as sound differences according to the wavelength or frequency it comes across, is delineated in several different “colors.“ The colors currently identified include white, green, brown, pink, violet, blue, and gray noise. There’s even red noise, a form of brown noise by another name.

If all of this is confusing, it is understandable. Still, it is an interesting aspect of how sound, a.k.a. noise, might help treat psychological disorders, reduce stress, or assist us in our everyday activities.

Clinicians use white noise machines to mask discussions in their offices. Many small machines producing this audio signal are readily available to anyone. The frequency is 40 Hz to 60 Hz and may vary according to its use. Each noise, except white noise, may have a specific service and produce different effects on anyone listening to it.

Of course, black noise is the absence of sound (silence), as it would usually be called. The intricacies of these noise productions or the physics involved will not be discussed here but only offered as potential research for anyone interested in sound production and how sound may be manipulated for best use in, for example, music in therapeutic settings, work, academic efforts, writing, etc. And sound has found a home in assisting those with ADHD.

Empirically, white noise therapy has been able to improve specific tasks affected by ADHD symptoms, including speech recognition and reading and writing speed. Educational performance is one of the prime areas where any intervention, such as sound utility, might be effective. Without early intervention, this disorder has a negative effect on their lives, their educational efforts, their career opportunities, and also the social interactions they may pursue in the future.

White noise has been used in a variety of settings with several patient populations. It has been found helpful in intensive care to decrease the arousal of patients and help with sleep onset. White noise has also been found to have shown some behavioral and psychological improvements in elderly patients with dementia and schizophrenia.

It is also helpful in word and visual-spatial tasks in young and elderly adults. Students have shown improvement in new word recall compared to periods of silence. In addition to these benefits, white noise has also been proven to have some ability to diminish impulsivity in children with ADHD and working memory.

How might we use sound in our daily lives at home and work? Many will choose to listen to certain types of music to energize them, others another style to create a quiet background against which they want to work. I suppose that’s why an album of recordings of Gregorian chants made the hit list of popular music charts. The album sold four million copies worldwide. The artist Ravi Shankar released his “Chants of India” when a music company wanted to continue their “chants” success.

One experiment tested several sounds to identify which might promote concentration and verbal reasoning in an office environment. The six different sounds were classified into the music group, including running water sound (RW), pure classic music (PM), classic music with lyrics (ML), and noise group, including intelligible speech (IS), mechanical noise of keyboard and printer (MN), and telephone ring (TR).

The varying results were attributed to the task, and the type of sound played. On the one hand, different activities and tasks consumed different mental workload resources, and on the other hand, different types of background sounds might have different effects on each kind of mental workload resource, so that the effects of one background sound might vary when subjects engaged in different jobs.

Summing it all up would indicate that sound and how we utilize it can benefit us in all of our environments. Sound downloads and videos are available for free download (some have fees) at the following:

https://www.freesoundeffects.com/free-sounds/ambience-10005/https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/nature/

Other sites are available, but carefully read the terms of use. YouTube has many videos with sound.

The post The “Colors” of Sounds Have an Effect on All of Us appeared first on Medika Life.

Dallas-based startup Listeners on Call is trying to solve the problem through its consumer listening services connecting people in need to an empathetic listening ear. The company believes in the power of meaningful conversations.

Listeners on Call launched in July of 2020 in response to the growing pandemic of loneliness exacerbated by Covid-19. The platform promotes mental health by connecting callers to a trained team of listeners. The company website states, “Everyone has something they need to share. Not everyone has someone to listen.”

The Dallas-based startup matches Listener on Call users to others who provide an empathetic ear and share experiences. The company believes sharing with someone who can relate to your problem can be life-changing. Callers can rest assured their privacy is protected as all calls are anonymous.

The Listeners are not trained medical professionals and do not give out medical advice. The platform is not designed to provide therapy or counseling. Instead, Listeners on Call’s goal is to be a “first step” for those seeking support. Dallas-based CEO Cole Egger told the Dallas Business Journal, “the company isn’t looking into the crowded field of telehealth companies providing professional services instead of seeing itself as the first step in seeking care and support.”

After downloading the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, users can select their listener to find someone who shares a connection to what they are experiencing. The company website states, “We are committed to connecting anyone, anywhere, anytime with someone who has a related personal experience and is ready to listen and are proud to offer on-call empathy, privacy, and support for millions of people who need to feel heard.”

The next step is to find a convenient time to speak directly to the listener. The app allows users to connect immediately for urgent conversations or to schedule a time in the future when it is convenient.

Next, Listeners On Call connects the user to the listener on a private line to help maintain privacy and anonymity. The calls can be as long or as short as needed. Users pay $0.50 per minute to use the service.

Every day people can apply to be listeners and be paid for their time. The application process is spelled out on their website. The company seeks out people who have empathy and who have a “natural spark of curiosity that makes people want to open up to them.” The listeners are trained through the company’s Listening Academy.

The Listening Academy involves a series of short courses focused on the art of Connected Listening, which the company explains as “how to create a bond with strangers based on a shared experience.” The program provides listeners with tools and techniques to help callers feel heard and valued.

The techniques employed by Listeners On Call is backed up by data showing an individual’s emotional state can be improved by exposing them to an empathetic listener. The company performed research evaluating callers disposition before and after engaging with a listener on their platform.

Listeners on Call partnered with Morphii, an experience measurement technology to complete the study. Morphii’s patented technology quantifies users’ emotions and feelings after engaging with various technologies.

During the study, Listeners on Call evaluated a caller’s disposition before and after a call with a trained listener. The Morphii system then quanitfied the caller’s pre and post-call emotional state.

The results were summarized in a press release as:

• Almost all Callers (97% leave the Listeners On Call platform in a more positive state.
• Overall, Callers experienced a 115% improvement in disposition from pre-to-post call.
• Callers identifying isolation/loss as the reason for seeking Listeners reported an average improvement of 151%.
• Callers seeking Listeners to cope with stress demonstrated a 184% improvement.
• Lastly, Callers who did not designate a specific topic, but who simply needed to talk/vent averaged an 89% improvement from pre- to post-call.

The mission of Listeners on Call is to make sure no one ever feels like they are alone. We all need someone to talk to sometimes. Perhaps, this platform can help the world feel more connected.

The post Listeners On Call Tackles Loneliness Through the Art of Listening appeared first on Medika Life.

Keep in mind that therapists are usually bound by their regulatory college to serve a specific province, country, region, etc. that they are registered in for providing counselling services, so they will advise if they can help you when you reach out to them.

I’ve had clients request virtual counselling services for many reasons. Some people have contacted me because they are worried about being criticized by their family or other people in their life who don’t believe in counseling based on their own personal, cultural, religious perspectives. Because of this, the client wants to access help in private where they don’t have to go into an office and risk being seen. Other people have reached out to me because of the challenges they’ve run into accessing services where they live. There have also been clients who have connected with me because their disability or illness makes it difficult for them to get out and about as often as they would like for in-person services, so they appreciate the convenience that teletherapy offers them. This wide range of issues is what has inspired me to write this article to help the general public learn more about online counseling and how it can be helpful.

If you’ve never tried virtual counselling before and are interested in learning more about it, keep reading to find out more about the possible benefits of going online.

Offers the opportunity to serve remote regions with limited in-person services

One of the best benefits of virtual counselling is the chance to provide much-needed services in areas that may not have in-person counselling available or where excessive travel may be required to get to the closest therapist’s office or mental health centre. This may be the case in more remote regions where there are not a lot of options locally.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to receive in-person counseling previously based on where you live, then virtual counselling services may allow you to get the help you need as the options online are vast and there are many therapy networks and service providers to choose from.

Provides more options than only using your local neighborhood resources

Even if there are some in-person counselling available in your hometown, the options could be restricted to perhaps one or only a few, so going virtual dramatically increases the range of services that can be explored, especially if you’ve tried your local therapy services and haven’t felt it was a good fit or match.

Furthermore, online counselling may allow you to get help for a particular type of need or issue or seek out a professional who offers a specific therapeutic style or approach that you are interested in. This type of specialization or experience may not be available in your local region’s counselling services. Being able to choose an online therapist who is able to serve your region broadens the options available to you so you can search more openly until you find exactly what you are looking for.

If you try out an online therapist but still don’t feel it is a good connection after some time, then you still have the chance to go back online and review the broad range of professionals until you feel you have found someone you trust, who hears and understands you, and who you can be completely open with regarding your worries, stressors, and needs. This is all part of the journey and the learning experience of counselling.

Maintains privacy and minimizes stigma

Let’s say you are part of a family who doesn’t believe in counselling or therapy, or you are worried about stigma and criticism from those in your personal network, cultural or religious group, or other contacts in your social circle for seeking out mental health assistance.

Having the chance to go online for support in the privacy of your own room or home where others cannot see you in a waiting room or walking into a counselling office may bring you the peace that you deserve.

Increases accessibility for those impacted by a disability or chronic illness

For those of you affected by a disability or chronic illness, it may be even harder to get out of your home to access in-person counseling services. Perhaps you are reliant on caregivers to help with your personal needs, or maybe you need help from others to get in and out of your home and for transport due to mobility restrictions, or it could be that you might have many medical appointments and issues with fatigue, pain, discomfort, etc. that adding in-person counselling appointments on top of everything else may seem too overwhelming.

Teletherapy may be a great solution for you since access to counselling is much greater within the comfort of your own home and in between your day-to-day needs.

Allows for greater flexibility with appointment dates and times

Similarly, if you are working an irregular schedule with constantly changing shifts, or if you have a very long commute and might be looking for early morning or late evening services, or if you are very occupied caring for young children, an elderly parent, or a family member with a disability or chronic illness, you might benefit from the increased flexibility that comes with virtual counselling.

You just might be able to find an online counsellor who can offer sessions in the specific time window you are looking for, which may not otherwise be possible with in-person therapy services that might follow a typical business hour schedule.

If you’re looking for mental health support that goes a little outside of the box based on your needs, obligations, and responsibilities, give online counselling a try – you might be pleasantly surprised by the expanded choices and options it could offer you.

Good luck and all the best in your search for a virtual therapist who is a solid match for your unique needs!

The post 5 Benefits of Virtual Counselling appeared first on Medika Life.