ManoShala Explains Why A Chatbot Is Not The Ultimate Answer

Many people are looking for a permanent solution to the problem of declining mental health in India, as many of these chatbots are claiming that they can help users with anxiety and depression. Still, ManoShala says that these chatbots cannot be the answer.

Mental health care plays a significant role in giving all Indians access to psychological services at affordable prices. It just doesn’t include conventional talk therapy but also includes expressive art-based therapeutic interventions like drama therapy workshops, dance movement workshops, music therapy workshops, etc. But are we talking about the holistic care model or alternative therapies enough?

The problem with the mental health industry is that it hasn’t gone through a fast-paced innovation like other industries like technology, physical healthcare and logistics. When it comes to physical healthcare, sitting in 2022, we have bots performing heart and brain surgeries, whereas we just have chatbots for caring for our mental health. Is it fair for us?

Here are five reasons why there has been no innovation more than chatbots that could stop the inclining graph of people undergoing mental illness:

The Researcher gap: The mental health industry has a considerable research gap. There are just not enough scientists who can do objective research, which is why we need more innovation than chatbots.
The Anecdotal Gap: The mental health industry lacks data on the real-life application of services and resources, so it is essential to understand what works for individuals to find out how we can improve existing services and develop new ones. This gap also leads to the next point.
The Access Gap: Conventional talk therapy and even other forms of therapies are only available in major cities, whereas other technologies are available in all the states. For example, it is difficult for someone to find a mobile therapist in rural areas like the Andaman Islands, where he can be reached at any time, unlike Delhi NCR or Mumbai, where people must book minutes before they need to be reached. The globalising features of the internet enable us to conduct research and access clinical resources from anywhere in the world. However, in India, we still face this problem.
The Service Gap: Traditional talk therapy sessions last for 45 minutes per session. People had to travel up to 2 hours away every day to get a session that was both inconvenient and expensive for them. If a person is undergoing mental health problems, he must have the facility to reach for help at any time, anywhere.
The Psychological Gap: Clinical psychologists are trained to deal with the cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural problems associated with mental illness. More than 90% of the Indian population does not have any knowledge about mental illness and its symptoms. We need to train more clinical psychologists who can educate people on mental illness.

For those looking for authentic answers to solve the problem of declining mental health in India, ManoShala can be a good option. It’s not just a conventional mental health organisation that provides therapy to patients. The members of this organisation include psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors and art therapists, and the great thing is that these members are not only from India but from across the world and have

ManoShala strives to provide holistic mental health services for individuals who are coping with mental health issues. It is a one-stop destination for individuals who are suffering from illness because they provide them with therapy, medication, online counselling 24/7, as well as engagement programs and community support groups.

For more information, you can visit manoshala.com or drop a mail at community@manoshala.com