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A therapy chatbot for depression

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71–77 of 77 posts

Re: A therapy chatbot for depression

#71
post #15

This is an excellent idea, but their loose stance on privacy doesn't seem to line up with the intended field. Even a cursory look over their privacy policy raises questions (third party marketing, data in the event of a sale/acquisition). As for Messenger, they merely provide a link to Facebook's privacy policy. I wish it outlined, in plain language, how private (or not) the transcripts of my chat data are and the re…

Hello! I'm Pamela, CTO@Woebot. I agree that the privacy policy is confusing, and I've started to make a list of standard questions that people ask Woebot about privacy. I'd like to make a TLDR at the top that covers the FAQs. Could you let me know what particular questions you want answered, so that it can cover that? Thank you!

I'm giving you sensitive personal information.

Are you complying with current UK / EU laws about how you handle that data? Will you be compliant with GDPR when it comes in?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regula...

Re: A therapy chatbot for depression

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like the real danger is the appeal of sacrificing nuanced treatment for convenient treatment. Your comment pointed out that for many people the choice might boil down to a supportive app or nothing. And as you noted, personal change can take years of dedicated person effort. To me, it seems like the biggest risk in the long term isn't in whether or not people get treated. The article demonstrates that the te…

The overwhelming majority of people who need psychotherapy cannot get access to adequate treatment. Access totally dwarfs every other issue in psychotherapy. Here in the UK, most people with moderately severe depression or anxiety have to wait several months to get access to CBT. That will usually comprise of six one-hour sessions, often with a mental health care practitioner rather than a clinical psychologist. Pati…

Currently mental health treatment in the UK is under severe pressure, and it's going to get worse if the conservatives win.

However:

> Here in the UK, most people with moderately severe depression or anxiety have to wait several months to get access to CBT

Here's the data for Jan 2017: http://www.content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB23831

> 90.2 per cent waited less than 6 weeks and 98.7 per cent waited less than 18 weeks to enter treatment

Most people wait less than 6 weeks to start treatment.

I agree about the rest of your comment: the CBT model should be 12 to 14 weeks of one hour sessions face to face with a therapist (we're not sure if the experience level of the therapist makes much difference), and many people are getting a much reduced version of this: 6 to 8 weeks, of 45 minute sessions, sometimes in groups or over the phone.

Re: A therapy chatbot for depression

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you either misunderstood my statement or I did a poor job communicating my points. Either way, it seems clear from your response that the position I was trying to present was not the one that was interpreted. I take some amount of resignation in your assumptions about my upbringing based on a single comment but in general I'm more annoyed that instead of simply focusing on rebutting the points you thought I w…

If remarking on your privilege constitutes an attack, then so be it. It felt necessary because of the desperate need that exists in the community, which your comment seemed not to recognise in the slightest. Globally, there is a suicide death every 40 seconds; the vast majority of those people were mentally ill but had received no treatment whatsoever. Suicide rates have spiked dramatically in many demographics since…

[deleted]

Re: A therapy chatbot for depression

#74
post #15

This is an excellent idea, but their loose stance on privacy doesn't seem to line up with the intended field. Even a cursory look over their privacy policy raises questions (third party marketing, data in the event of a sale/acquisition). As for Messenger, they merely provide a link to Facebook's privacy policy. I wish it outlined, in plain language, how private (or not) the transcripts of my chat data are and the re…

Hello! I'm Pamela, CTO@Woebot. I agree that the privacy policy is confusing, and I've started to make a list of standard questions that people ask Woebot about privacy. I'd like to make a TLDR at the top that covers the FAQs. Could you let me know what particular questions you want answered, so that it can cover that? Thank you!

A TLDR won't help, until you overhaul all of the tech you use.

FB is a no-go!

Using so much tracking on your website that it's broken with ad-blocker and FF tracking protection on is a no-go!

In the current state the only sane thing to do is to warn people to not use your service.

Re: A therapy chatbot for depression

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's gross-negligence at the very least. Facebook routinely experiments on people in a way that's dangerous to people with mental health issues (and likely even healthy adults). Opening up their treatment to Facebook is incredibly negligent.

yep--one would have hoped that this shop would have thought about the obvious consequences--ie, what is the likely effect on someone in depression who believes that they are seeking treatment and that the treatment has failed them. is this responsible guys?

Ethics and responsibility seem to have taken a permanent back seat to profit in the "tech" industry.

Re: A therapy chatbot for depression

#76
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yep--one would have hoped that this shop would have thought about the obvious consequences--ie, what is the likely effect on someone in depression who believes that they are seeking treatment and that the treatment has failed them. is this responsible guys?

Ethics and responsibility seem to have taken a permanent back seat to profit in the "tech" industry.

sure seems that way (who has time to be ethical and responsible when you are changing the world!)

Re: A therapy chatbot for depression

#77
Just in case someone wants to know, if you got to this bot without looking at their page, it's paid, it doesn't tell you anything about it, and after using it for ~two weeks it stops working and asks you to pay 39 usd per month.
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