• Limbic’s chatbot aims to explore whether AI can help lower healthcare barriers by helping patients and getting help more efficiently.
  • Referrals from minority groups increased significantly when chatbots were available, including non-binary patients (179% increase), Asian patients (39% increase), and black patients (40% increase).
  • Chatbot interactions help avoid judgment, shame, or anxiety that can be triggered by talking to a person.

Promoting mental health is now a priority

A recent study revealed that AI chatbots have led to an increase in the number of patients referred to mental health services through the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), particularly among vulnerable people who are less likely to seek help.
Demand for mental health services in the UK has been rising, particularly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health services saw a record 4.6 million referrals in 2022, and the number of people accessing such services has steadily increased.However, according to the British Medical Association, neither the funding nor the number of mental health professionals is sufficient to meet the increasing demand. The chatbot’s creators come from artificial intelligence company Limbic, which has begun a study to explore whether AI can help patients get help faster and more efficiently, thereby helping to lower barriers to healthcare.
A new study published in Nature Medicine assessed the impact of a chatbot called Edge Channel on referrals to NHS anxiety and depression treatment programmes. These programs provide evidence-based psychotherapy for adults experiencing anxiety, depression, or both. The study analysed data from 129,400 people who visited 28 different NHS treatment service websites in England. Half of these people encountered chatbots on their websites, while the other half used other data collection methods, such as online forms.Services using Limbic chatbots increased referral volume by 15% over the three-month study period, while services without chatbots only increased by 6%.

Minority medical volume increased significantly

Notably, when chatbots were available, referrals from minority groups increased significantly, including non-binary patients (179% increase), Asian patients (39% increase), and black patients (40% increase).

Crucially, the authors of the report state that more patients are being referred to services for help without increasing waiting times or reducing the number of ongoing clinical assessments.This is thanks to the detailed information gathered by the chatbot, which reduces the time required by the clinician to assess the patient while improving the quality of the assessment and freeing up other resources.”In some ways, this shows where the field is headed – making it easier for people to get screened, regardless of the technology,” the authors said. However, this also raises the question of what services will be provided to people and how they will be distributed.

Overall, patients who had used the chatbot and provided positive feedback to Limbic mentioned its user friendliness and convenience. They also said referrals gave them hope for recovery or made them realize they were not alone.Non-binary respondents mentioned chatbot dehumanization more frequently than either male or female patients, suggesting that interacting with chatbots helps avoid judgment, shame, or anxiety that may be triggered by talking to people.

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