TL:DR – Using ChatGPT to generate an artificial therapy session.
None of the following should be taken as a substitute for professional, expert help where it is needed. It is merely an exercise in testing the limits of so-called AI. Please speak to a professional if you need mental or physical health guidance or treatment.
ChatGPT is a language model, it’s basically predictive text on steroids. You feed it a line and it comes right back at you with a retort. Feed it the right line and it will write you a sonnet or a limerick, a few more lines with the right prompt and it will analyse a piece of prose, you can then ask it to generate a new piece of prose on a different topic with the same tone, style, and voice. I’ve mentioned it a few times before.
The system was launched to the public in November, but I had work and music commitments to cope with, so didn’t take more than a cursory glance at it at the time. It’s become a bit of a distraction for me in January 2023 as it has for at least a million other people, apparently.
There are some very intriguing ways to prompt ChatGPT, you can tell it to “act” as a particular professional: a songwriter, an author, a scriptwriter and prime it to generate replies on which you might build up your own creative writing output. You can ask it to tweak your social media bio to improve engagement, you can ask it how best to answer job interview questions and so on.
Today, I thought I’d see how ChatGPT fares as therapist. I told it I wasn’t feeling particularly happy with my lot, despite the cliched efforts of “counting my blessings” and asked it for advice, it came back with an eight-point plan that anyone might follow to improve their mental well-being.
First, it told me that there are many things you can do to increase your mental well-being, in addition to taking part in the activities you already enjoy.
- Prioritizing self-care: Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating well, and engaging in regular physical activity.
- Connecting with others: Join a group or club that shares your interests or volunteer for a cause you care about. This can help you build new friendships and expand your social support network.
- Exploring new activities: Trying new things can be a great way to challenge yourself and find new sources of enjoyment.
- Finding ways to give back: Helping others can be a powerful way to boost your own mood and sense of purpose.
- Practicing mindfulness: mindfulness techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises or yoga can help you to be present in the moment and reduce stress.
- Working on your mental health: it may be beneficial to continue to work with a therapist or counsellor to help you manage feelings of loneliness and improve your overall mental well-being.
- Keeping a journal: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be a helpful way to process your emotions, reflect on your experiences and track your progress.
- Remember, what works for one person may not work for another, so be open to trying different things and find what works best for you.
I wondered “out loud” what else a therapist or counsellor might add to that list…It came back with this response and seven more tips.
It’s worth noting that, therapy is a process and requires time, patience, and dedication, it may take time to see the results, but with consistent effort, you can make progress towards a more fulfilling life. A professional therapist or counsellor may have some additional recommendations for you, based on your specific needs and goals. Some possibilities include:
- Setting realistic and specific goals: Setting clear and achievable goals can help you to focus your efforts and make progress in areas of your life that are important to you.
- Addressing any unresolved past issues: If you have any unresolved past issues that are impacting your mental well-being, a therapist or counsellor can help you to process and work through them.
- Building resilience: A therapist or counsellor can help you to develop coping strategies and build resilience, so you are better able to handle the stressors and challenges of daily life.
- Improving communication and relationship skills: A therapist or counsellor can help you to improve your communication and relationship skills, which can help to strengthen your connections with others.
- Managing feelings of anxiety and depression: If you are experiencing feelings of anxiety or depression, a therapist or counsellor can help you to identify the underlying causes and develop strategies for managing these feelings.
- Reviewing medications: If you are taking medications for mental health concerns, a therapist or counsellor may work with you and your physician to review the medications and make adjustments, if needed.
- Exploring alternative therapies: A therapist or counsellor may also explore alternative therapies, such as art or music therapy, or equine therapy, with you if they feel it might be beneficial.
I don’t think any of the suggestions are beyond the wit of anyone trying to look at their well-being, but it’s interesting to see them grouped and presented in this way by the AI.
One additional exercise, I asked the bot to take stock of all the advice and to extract the three most important points from all that it had presented. This is what it added:
All of the recommendations above are important and can be beneficial to improve your mental well-being, but the following three are some of the most crucial suggestions. Remember, it’s important to be patient with yourself and not to expect immediate results. It’s a process, and it takes time, effort and commitment, but with a consistent approach, you can make progress towards a more fulfilling life.
- Prioritizing self-care: Self-care is essential for maintaining physical and mental well-being. This includes getting enough sleep, eating well, and engaging in regular physical activity. By taking care of your physical health, you will be better equipped to handle the stressors and challenges of daily life.
- Building and strengthening connections with others: Building and strengthening connections with others is important for our mental well-being. This can include connecting with friends, family and loved ones, joining a group or club that shares your interests, and volunteering for a cause you care about.
- Finding ways to give back: Helping others can be a powerful way to boost your own mood and sense of purpose. Giving back to others can bring a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction, and it can also help to strengthen your connections with others.
Here, you can find additional Sciencebase content on the subject of artificial intelligence, AI here.