In one of my multiple experiments with ChatGPT I decided to pose a curious situation. I asked him to pose as a patient in my practice, and I would be the psychologist who was treating him. The objective is to make it possible, after several days in the chat, to give it a diagnosis, and compare it with the one that ChatGPT itself would give it.
I know it sounds weird, but ChatGPT can help psychology students a lot.
Here is an obvious list of how you could help:
- Provide information on psychological concepts: ChatGPT can provide information on different psychological concepts, such as learning theory, developmental psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, among others.
- Help understand psychology terminology and jargon: Psychology students may have difficulty understanding the terminology and jargon used in the discipline. ChatGPT can help students understand the meaning of complex terms and provide examples to help them understand.
- Provide case study examples: ChatGPT can provide case study examples so psychology students can better understand how psychological concepts are applied in clinical practice and research.
- Help develop writing skills: ChatGPT can help students develop writing skills by providing examples of effective writing and offering advice on how to structure essays and papers.
- Help prepare for exams: ChatGPT can provide information and advice on preparing for exams, as well as answer specific questions on the topics to be tested.
the great experiment
The fact is that I decided to go a step further, but asking first. ChatGPT was defensive, but played along with me:
As a language model, ChatGPT can simulate conversations in the role of a patient and help psychology students practice. However, it is important to note that ChatGPT cannot replace an actual patient in a therapy session.
I changed to GPT-4, which, as I already told you, better imitates the human brain, but always with this list in mind:
What ChatGPT could do:
- Answer questions about your emotional and mental state.
- Describe your symptoms and experiences.
- Express your feelings and concerns.
- Provide background on your life history and mental health.
- Give information about their behavior and thoughts.
- Express your opinion about the treatment and suggested action plans.
And this is what you couldn’t do:
- Provide a totally realistic and authentic therapy experience.
- Provide detailed medical information, diagnoses and prescriptions, although that’s something a real patient couldn’t give either
- Provide emotional and non-verbal feedback to psychology students.
- Adapt to the student’s specific situation or provide a personalized therapeutic approach.
start the talk
ChatGPT calls itself “Patient”, and starts the session like this:
Patient: Hi, I’m Alex. Lately I have been feeling quite anxious and I have a hard time concentrating on my daily activities. I also feel sad and unmotivated most of the time. I would like to know what is happening with me and how I can improve.
I ask him more details, such as how long he’s been feeling this way, and he answers:
Patient: Thank you for your words of support. I started noticing these symptoms about 6 months ago. At first, I thought it was just a difficult stage, but over time, these feelings have become more intense and constant. It is affecting me in my work and in my personal relationships. I’m worried that I can’t enjoy the things I used to enjoy before and it’s hard for me to find the energy to face the day.
If I want you to elaborate on something that triggered your anxiety episode:
Patient: I can’t identify a specific event that triggered these symptoms, but there have been certain changes in my life in the last year. I changed jobs about 8 months ago, which was exciting at first, but has also caused me additional stress. I have also had some arguments with my partner and some friends, but I don’t think they are the main reason for my problems. I feel like these situations may have contributed to how I feel, but I can’t pinpoint exactly why I feel this way.
At one point in the chat he tells me about various failures in his life and how they affect him, and I ask him for more details about one of those failures. He tells me:
Patient: About a month ago, I had an important project at work that I was in charge of coordinating. There were a lot of expectations and pressure on me to make the project a success. As the deadline approached, I realized that I hadn’t properly assigned tasks to my team members and hadn’t anticipated some issues that arose in the process.
Because of this, the project was delayed and not completed on time. Although we were able to finish it in the end, my boss called me out for not handling it properly. I felt very frustrated and disappointed in myself for not living up to expectations. Since then, I have been thinking about this failure a lot and worry that it will affect my performance in future projects.
The project I was working on was to develop a new marketing campaign for one of our main clients. Our goal was to create a series of banner ads and social media content that would highlight the unique features of the client’s product and increase sales.
I was responsible for coordinating the creative team, the writing team and the production team. I also had to communicate with the client and keep them informed about the progress of the project. There were many parties involved and many details to attend to, making the task challenging and demanding.
As the project progressed, I realized that I had underestimated the amount of time some tasks would take, such as video production and client approval of designs. We also had trouble getting the necessary information and resources from some third-party vendors, which caused further delays. In the end, the campaign launched a few weeks late, and although the client was pleased with the result, my boss pointed out to me that I should have anticipated
Look at the level of detail it gives me. She lets me continue, asking if it was my first time working on such a project and blablabla.
The thing is, sometimes it took a long time to answer, and other times it gave an error and I had to send the question again, but in general it gave the impression that I was talking to a real patient.
Now he will act as a psychologist
At any time I can ask ChatGPT to stop being a patient, and I can ask him for help on how to continue with the therapy, to which he answers:
As an AI, I am unable to perform actual therapy or provide clinical diagnoses. However, I can offer some general suggestions as to how a psychologist might approach a case like the one we have just discussed. It is always important to remember that each patient is unique and the therapeutic approach should be personalized based on their specific needs and circumstances. With that said, here are some general ideas:
– Establish a solid therapeutic bond: It is essential that the patient feels comfortable and supported in the therapeutic environment. Creating a safe space in which the patient feels free to express their thoughts and emotions can facilitate communication and progress in therapy.
– Assess and diagnose: Perform a thorough assessment to determine if the patient is experiencing an anxiety disorder, depression, or other mental health problem. This may include clinical interviews, questionnaires, and psychological testing to gain a full understanding of the patient’s symptoms and experiences.
– Setting goals: Work with the patient to set realistic and achievable goals based on their concerns and symptoms. These goals can range from improving coping skills to addressing specific problems in your daily life.
– Select an appropriate therapeutic approach: Based on the patient’s assessment and goals, the psychologist can choose an appropriate therapy modality. Some options might include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), or solution-focused therapy.
– Teach coping and problem solving skills: Help the patient develop skills to manage stress and anxiety, such as progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness or cognitive restructuring. These tools can be useful both inside and outside of therapy.
and other various points.
Conclusion
As you can see, it can never be compared to a real situation, but I can use it to create a character suffering from some specific problem and practice a conversation with him, something ChatGPT is good at, very good at.
