The study explores the potential of human-language model interaction in facilitating self-guided mental health interventions. Focusing on cognitive restructuring, a therapeutic technique to overcome negative thinking, the authors designed a system to support people through various steps of the process. The system was evaluated through a randomized field study on a large mental health website with over 15,000 participants. Findings suggest that the system positively impacted emotional intensity for 67% of participants and helped 65% overcome negative thoughts. Tailored interventions that simplify language model generations were found to improve overall effectiveness and equity, despite some negative outcomes reported among adolescents.
Publication date: 26 Oct 2023
Project Page: Not provided
Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2310.15461
