PsycheBubbles - Anwesha Bhattacharya

Note: This blog post is only meant to be a discussion about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and LLMs and not to pass any judgment on people who do use AI. This post is written to encourage conversation around the effects of passively using A.I. on people and not to diagnose or provide clinical advice about people's psychological health. In the last seven days, many of us may have gone to the internet, opened a social media app or specifically shopped online, and, without even trying, we may have used AI in some capacity. That is how pervasive these Large Language Models (LLMs) have become, and with that degree of presence, it is pertinent to question – “How do LLM-based AI models affect us?” The polarity of the discourse about using A.I .- with one group touting it as an omnipotent being which would replace people in almost all (if not all) fields of work and the other resorting to shaming people who use it- has made it difficult to have nuanced conversations about it. But that ma...

Note: This blog post talks about things related to mental health, self-harm and AI companionship/ 'therapy'. What is written is also not a replacement for therapy or other interventions. The information I share here is based on research papers, articles, chapters and my experience as a therapist. But what I write here might not answer your specific questions or cover your specific concerns- this is general information. Please reach out to someone for assistance if you believe you need it. We deserve all the help and resources that we need! Psychotherapy and Counselling have been proven to be effective tools for mental health.  They are tools which can help people not only understand themselves but also those around them - they are effective interventions that have been studied and refined for many decades. But when it comes to its real-world application, hurdles like stigma around mental health,  problems with accessibility to proper care,  a dearth of properly trained th...