Mental health expert: AI chatbots fill the 24/7 gap the health system can't
A leading mental health professional argues AI-assisted tools could provide the round-the-clock support Australia's struggling youth mental health system cannot.
Ian Hickie, with four decades in mental health and suicide prevention, believes AI chatbots could be the most positive opportunity the field has ever seen. Young people who won't see a human clinician or can't reach one are turning to chatbots in droves.
Chatbots work 24/7 in any location. At 3am in remote areas, empathic help is now available.
Youth mental health services are fragmented and poorly coordinated. Nearly two-thirds of young people in primary care early intervention services found their daily functioning stayed poor or got worse.
Hickie argues AI could transform this. Young people could record their mood, sleep, activity and symptoms continuously.
An AI language model trained on real clinical encounters could process how a young person talks, saying their brain 'zaps' or 'goes burr', and turn it into structured clinical information. This could help rural and remote areas where few specialists exist.
Why it mattersAustralia's mental health system is failing young people. AI tools could offer a practical, immediate way to reach those who won't access traditional care.
AustraliaIf AI-assisted mental health tools are properly developed and deployed, they could help thousands of young Australians in outer urban, rural and remote areas access support when human clinicians are unavailable.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
