SUMMARY
While AI has some advantages in mental health content writing, such as generating ideas, it falls short in several key areas. The main cons of AI in mental health writing are:
- AI-written content lacks quality
- Risk of Google penalising your mental health website
- Lack of depth and relevance
- Insensitive to compassionate mental health terms
- AI can’t mimic human emotions
For these reasons, it’s better to lean on the expertise of a skilled mental health writer, like the team at PsychWrite.
Is there a place for AI in content writing? Ask that question to ten different content writers, and you’ll likely get ten different answers. Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems have redefined industries across science, manufacturing, transportation, customer service, and beyond.
However, technology poses unique challenges to those of us in creative fields, including mental health content writers.
AI technology is able to learn and improve task performance using algorithms and data processing. Mimicking human cognitive abilities, AI can identify patterns, process language, analyse facial expressions, and much more.
These systems are already at work in our day-to-day lives. Think: self-driving cars, smartphone facial recognition features, or popular software programs like Grammarly or ChatGPT.
The use of AI in mental health is not new, but its role in mental health content writing is unfamiliar territory. Little research has been done on it, leaving a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to the mental health impacts of AI on those consuming AI-written content.
In this article, we will explore:
- The role of AI in mental health
- How AI affects mental health content writing
- Can AI help with mental health content writing?
- The drawbacks of using AI in mental health writing
- Why you should hire an expert writer for your mental health website
The Role AI Has in Mental Health
One of the earliest iterations of mental health AI emerged in the 70s. It was an interactive chatbot named ELIZA that mimicked a psychotherapist, providing mental health support to users through text conversations.
While some experts felt the technology held promise, it had its fair share of weaknesses. This eventually led to the creation of more advanced AI tools, like many of the ones used today, such as Calm, Talkspace or BetterHelp.
However, the impact of AI on mental health extends far beyond emotional chat support. The technology is now widely used to increase accessibility to mental healthcare through telehealth services.
AI is also helping to detect and treat mental health conditions. By factoring in a patient’s medical history, genetics, lifestyle habits, and more, the technology can predict a person’s risk for mental disorders. Additionally, it can log changes in a person’s facial expressions, tone of voice, or temperament of social media posts to flag potential signs of a mental health condition. AI can also help determine which medications may be most effective for a patient.
Furthermore, AI devices that gather information on sleep, diet, and exercise can give clinicians an even more well-rounded understanding of a patient’s psychological well-being.
Presently, there is no AI program approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the field of psychiatry.
How Does AI Affect Mental Health Content Writing?
The use of AI in content writing is on the rise. According to founding company OpenAI, over 200 million people use ChatGPT on a weekly basis, a program that produces conversational answers to user questions or directives. Some writers believe the program enhances their work through idea generation, headline suggestions and increased productivity.
But it’s not just writers who have embraced AI. Survey data from global management consulting firm McKinsey showed that out of 1,363 respondents, 65% said their organisations have incorporated AI into their business.
In an effort to save money and increase efficiency, many companies have turned to these programs in hopes of appealing to the Google algorithm. By increasing digital content output, organisations are striving to boost brand authority, rank higher in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), and increase web traffic and sales.
AI may seem like a quick fix for upping content volume, but it certainly comes with downsides, which we will touch on later in this article.
Can AI Help With Mental Health Writing?
With the demand for mental health services often exceeding supply, AI may offer some potential benefits. The technology can serve as a community-building platform or help users strengthen emotional resilience through games and puzzles.
In the world of mental health content writing, AI-generated articles or blog posts may help raise awareness, provide resources for people struggling with mental health, or offer guidance for family members supporting a loved one living with a mental disorder. That being said, there is currently no research regarding the effects of AI in mental health writing.
Cons of Using AI in Mental Health Writing
A study found that out of more than 100 people in Australia, 28% said they used AI, predominantly for emotional or therapeutic support. Similarly, out of 86 mental health professionals, 43% were AI users who found it most helpful for research and writing reports.
Although both groups noted the benefits of the technology, their main concerns were privacy, security, ethical use, medical inaccuracies, and negative impacts on human connection.
In addition to these concerns, AI may also pose risks to writers and companies that use it.
1. AI-Written Content Lacks Quality
The most popular type of AI technology in the healthcare field is Machine Learning (ML). It learns and improves upon itself with existing data. Generative AI technology used in content writing is built the same way.
This has raised legal concerns about plagiarism and copyright infringement. Many experts argue that generative AI programs like ChatGPT train their content based on existing human content without credit or permission.
Ultimately, AI-written content just isn’t up to scratch when it comes to quality. While the technology continues to advance, AI-generated content has been criticised for its inconsistencies, grammatical errors, generic subject matter and awkward phrasing.
2. Risk of Google Penalising Your Mental Health Website
As your company attempts to climb the SERPs ladder, Google may knock your content down a few rungs if it detects improper AI use on your mental health website. Google seeks out quality content. While it won’t penalise you for simply using AI, if the content comes off as spammy, inaccurate, or seems to be catering to the algorithm over readers (i.e., keyword stuffing), your website traffic may suffer.
Your best bet is to stick to Google’s tried and true E-E-A-T method: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness in your written content.
3. Lack of Depth and Relevance
When seeking out information, we want articles that go beyond a surface-level understanding of a topic. Readers are more likely to trust your content if it’s detailed, research-backed, and embodies an empathetic, human quality. AI-generated content tends to be pretty generic in its coverage.
You won’t find honest first-hand accounts, expert interview quotes or sophisticated explanations of complex mental health topics.
4. Insensitive to Compassionate Mental Health Terms
Accurate, compassionate, and inclusive language is critical in mental health content writing. This includes being familiar with person-first language. A skilled mental health writer uses phrases like “a person diagnosed with schizophrenia” instead of describing someone as “schizophrenic.”
Another example is the importance of using terms such as “died by suicide” versus “committed suicide.” The latter phrase can reinforce stereotypes and perpetuate stigma around mental health.
AI also fails to accurately diagnose mental health conditions. In addition to psychological evaluations, environmental factors, genetics, and social factors must all be considered when assessing a person’s mental health. If AI is trained using biased data that does not take cultural factors into account, the technology may incorrectly label someone as having a mental illness or wrongly diagnose them.
5. AI Can’t Mimic Human Emotions
AI can’t replicate the complexity of human emotions. The technology may be able to analyse a person’s facial expressions, but we know that a smile or a furrowed brow doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone.
This is particularly true for those of us who may express our emotions differently than others. As a result, the emotional experience of neurodiverse individuals is often excluded.
6. AI Is Inferior to Mental Health Experts
AI’s surface understanding of mental health is inferior to the breadth of knowledge and experience of a mental health professional. Mental health experts have areas of expertise, such as specialising in treating specific mental health disorders. Many also have experience working with certain populations, such as children, people who have experienced sexual abuse, or the LGBTQ+ community.
There are also ethical concerns around AI use in mental health. Continued work is needed to preserve patient privacy and reduce bias in these computer systems. Authentic human connection is also essential for healing—work that simply can’t be achieved with a machine.
Hire an Expert Writer for Your Mental Health Website
Is there a world in which mental health and AI can one day coexist? Perhaps. It’s certainly on its way there. But mental health businesses get the best of both worlds when hiring a human who doubles as an experienced mental health writer.
How? Because hiring a mental health content writer guarantees accuracy, quality—and most importantly, empathy—in your written content.
PsychWrite is a mental health writing agency composed of a team of expert mental health writers. We provide compassionate, credible written content to help elevate your brand’s messaging.
Contact us and book a consultation call and start authentically growing your audience today.
