Context:
• OpenAI reports >1 million weekly conversations on suicide/self-harm on ChatGPT.
• Indian ed-institutions (incl. IIT Kharagpur, coaching hubs) are deploying AI mental health chatbots like Peakoo.
• Debate: supportive bridge → or misleading substitute for real therapy?
Key Highlights:
- Use-Cases Emerging in India
• AI systems → mood tracking, CBT-style nudges, journaling prompts, grounding techniques.
• Intended as first-line support + stigma-reduction → push students toward counsellors.
• Validation: Peak Mind claims 10,000 critical alerts; 100+ suicide interventions. - Psychiatric Concerns
• AI personalisation (“I am here for you”) → deceptive anthropomorphism → undermines need for real therapy.
• Risk of missing non-verbal signs of suicidality (withdrawal, behavioural change).
• AI may not detect psychosis / subtle risk ideation.
• Recommends → avoid 1st-person persona, avoid calling bot a “companion”. - Ethical & Privacy Lens
• Training on user conversations → data governance risk.
• Developers claim → anonymisation + escalation to human counsellor when deeper issues surface.
• Yet: AI-based triage ≠ clinical diagnosis.
Relevant Prelims Points:
• CBT = Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
• Suicide risk detection → requires multi-modal cues, not only “keywords”.
• IIT Kharagpur / coaching institutes piloting AI mental health apps.
Relevant Mains Points:
• GS2/GS4 – Technology & ethics; digital well-being; parental + institutional responsibility.
• AI can augment but cannot substitute clinical psychiatry.
• Human peer networks produce non-perfect responses → learning to navigate friction builds resilience.
• Way Forward:
– No first-person “I/you” anthropomorphism
– Clear scope boundaries + mandatory human referral thresholds
– Strong consent + privacy frameworks
– Digital mental health literacy for parents + teachers