Insights from Psychiatrists’ on Generative Artificial Intelligence in Mental Healthcare

The following is a summary of “Psychiatrists’ experiences and opinions of generative artificial intelligence in mental healthcare: An online mixed methods survey,” published in the March 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Blease et al.

Chatbots with large language models (LLM) have gained popularity due to their potential clinical benefits, but physicians’ perspectives are often overlooked.

Researchers conducted a prospective study exploring psychiatrists’ experiences and opinions on these advancements in mental health care. 

They conducted an online survey with quantitative and qualitative responses distributed among psychiatrists associated with the American Psychiatric Association (APA). 

The results showed that 44% of psychiatrists had used OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3.5, and 33 had a take on a more advanced chatbot, GPT-4.0, to assist them with answering clinical questions. 70% saw benefits in conducting administrative tasks, and 75% believed patients would consult these tools before seeing a doctor. 90% felt clinicians needed more support and training with these tools. Opinions varied on the value of AI in clinical practice and the profession’s future. 

Investigators concluded that psychiatrists have diverse views on the impact of AI chatbots. However, with evolving regulations and ongoing discussion, support or training for physicians and further research are crucial for optimal unification. 

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178124000118