Views on AI as an Instrument of Mental Health Care: Qualitative Perspectives of Psychologists from India and Nepal

Abstract

Background: AI innovation in research, therapy, education and health care has made informed and strategic implementation an inevitable step forward for practitioners, clients, policy makers and AI developers. To create and empower a holistic system that helps in filling the gap in mental health care, Psychologists must have a realistic understanding of the power and limitations of using AI-based tools and chatbots in mental health care. 

Objective: To explore the attitudes and perceptions of psychologists from India and Nepal toward the integration of AI-based tools in mental healthcare and how they view the potential benefits, challenges, and risks associated with using these in mental health practice.

Design: In this qualitative study thematic analysis was used as an analytical method. The study explored the perceptions and experiential accounts of psychologists regarding the integration of AI-based tools in mental health contexts.

Results: Seventeen practising psychologists were recruited, fourteen from India and three from Nepal. Three overarching themes were identified: (i) Current Utilisation of AI– AI’s current use as a vector for procedural streamlining and optimization of preliminary processes; (ii) Complaints, Cautions and Risks– current concerns as well as the dissatisfaction and general atmosphere of uncertainty surrounding it; and (iii) Hope and hesitation– functional scope in behavioural analytics and preliminary diagnosis along with concerns surrounding ethics, dependency risks, and exclusion of certain socially marginalized or technically inept demographics.

Conclusion: The emergent discourse reflects a persistent ambivalence- AI is valued for its capacity to enhance logistical fluency and broaden access, yet remains restricted by its inability to engage with the embodied, cultural, and relational substrates of psychological care. Robust planning and monitoring is required for the ethical implementation of AI-based tools in mental health care to avoid misuse and prevent harm.