Hospitals and Healthcare

It’s cheap, quick and available 24/7, but is a chatbot therapist really the right tool to tackle complex emotional needs?

Just a few hours of therapy-like interventions can reduce some people’s anxiety.

Many people make meaningful emotional progress in just a handful of sessions.

In a pretty significant indicator that gaming is making inroads into everyday life, the Food and Drug Administration last year gave its first approval to a video game to improve attention function in children.

The game, “EndeavorRX” by Akili Interactive, may point to a potentially growing field of prescription-strength gaming, according to the 2021 Tech Trends Report by the Future Today Institute. Amy Webb, futurist and founder of the organization, made her annual presentation at SXSW on Tuesday, detailing her firm’s insights into the near- and long-term future of various media and technology industries, including news, health and the sciences.

Akili Interactive formed in 2011 with the intent to create games for clinical therapy. “EndeavorRX” is an on-the-rails, character-based racing game with bright colors, looking similar to a mascot-driven title like “Crash Bandicoot." But its game mechanics are designed “for target activation of specific neural systems in the brain to treat diseases with associated cognitive dysfunction.”

Except in rare cases, treatment shouldn’t last forever.

Group therapy can be at least as effective as individual therapy. It improves mental health by giving people a stronger sense of belonging – without medicines, hospitals or expensive professionals.

AI-powered chatbots are now sophisticated enough that they are starting to be used for therapy.

As the need for therapists grows, mental health experts provide their best advice for finding a therapist, as well as tips on what you can do while you wait.

If group-based mental health seems like a good fit, try a few sessions. Pay attention to how the interactions between the therapist and the other group members feel.