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Show , WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 - DIXIESUNNEINS.COM o ore SS ie'D BY TRACEY LIEN Fifty years ago, an MIT professor created a chatbot that simulated a psychotherapist. Named Eliza, it was able to trick some people into believing it was human. But it didn't understand what it was told, nor did it have the capacity to learn on its own. The only test it had to pass was: Could it These days, with robotics advancing to drive cars, beat humans at chess and Go!, and replace entire workforces, Eliza's smoke and mirrors is child's play. Researchers now build chatbots that can listen, learn and teach cognitive behavioral therapy to humans. Forget simply simulating a can a chat-hpsychotherapist do what a therapist does, or at least come close? A San Francisco startup thinks so. Its chatbot, named Woebot, doesn't replace therapists, but its creators believe it could be the next best thing to as a nonjudgmental listener, while adding levity with the depression. Built by former Stanford researcher Alison Darcy and a team of psychologists, linguists and software engineers, Woebot has enormous ambition: to help an increasingly anxious, depressed and stressed population feel ' "Right now you can see a therapist, or you can access p books, and there's nothing in between," Darcy said. "The major gap we want Woebot to fill is the nothing." The current model for therapy, in which patients see a therapist once a week for an hour at a time, isn't, in tech parlance, "scalable," she 1 peer-review- self-hel- full-blow- self-hel- ' ( ( 3 ( z I low-pressu- re By filling in the gap bep books and tween n therapy, Woebot be could tapping into a significant business opportunity. Mental disorders topped the list of the most costly health conditions in the U.S., with happier. p , though the company stresses that Woebot is not a therapist). The second is that it has undergone a randomized control trial under the supervision of Stanford University researchers and was shown to be effective in improving symptoms of anxiety and deusers. pression in college-age- d The results were published in June in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. to combat negative thinking and ways to manage mood disorders such as anxiety and (01 4 change"). There are many apps and websites that purport to improve users' mental health, but Woebot hopes to differentiate itself in two key ways. The first is that it's a robot people can talk to, much as they would to a therapist (al- users cognitive behavioral therapy skills, such as exercises that people can do rt: - occasional dad joke ("How many therapists does it take to change a lightbulb? One, but' the lightbulb has to want to Delivered over Facebook Messenger, Woebot teaches h self-hel- thinking. With a personality that's a cross between Kermit the Frog and Spock from "Star Trek," the innocent, logical and often goofy chatbot acts seeing one. I ,,, prescription drugs. Alternap tive medicines and The included. not guides were report also did not consider how much would be spent if more people had access to mental health services. A separate market report published by MarketsandMarkets last year estiniated that the cognitive assessment and training market, which chatbots such as Woebot fall under, could be worth more ' than $8 billion by 2021. This doesn't come as a surprise to mental health 't experts, who said the majority Hz w of people who could benefit from mental health services Eric Clark, pictured at the Georgia Perimeter College Campus in Decatur, Georgia, March 28, 2013, suffers from depression and is a member of Active Minds that helps dispel stigma about mental don't access them because of illness on college campuses. cost, lack of availability or fear of the stigma still associand other health conditions. from Washington, D.C., who ated with mental illness. Even Although the Food and Labs paid a $2 million Lumos has not Administration insurtraditional has those who have health Drug experienced and has since been settlement and started regulating lifestyle ance can have a challenging therapy and started using more specific in its marketing wellness apps, the Federal Woebot in February. "But time getting help. state and Commission Trade to a materials, backing its claims it's a "It may involve seeing priway research. with been have vent, it makes you feel more attorneys general mary care doctor, asking for a more aggressive in going after If federal regulators were at ease, and it was good for referral, and then some insurto look into Woebot, Darcy outI was what do will ance providers apps that purport to do or be going through," believes the chatbot would said Nick, who didn't want to reach so you have to see them something they're not. be in the clear because it has The New York attorney. reveal his last name due to the before they determine which on down cracked this said nature sensitive of can already conducted a randomsee," general topic. therapist you fitness ized control trial, and it hasn't three health and "It was also cute and funny Kathleen Kara Fitzpatrick, apps last year for their misleading that it has a personality." a psychologist at Stanford's overpromised. CarShe's also not interested in called backOne claims. scientific its of app Despite department psychiatry an Woebot turn that it said could duo is the team Woebot being viewed as a --and behavioral sciences who ing, tool. Woebot health clinical heart a iPhone into personal careful to remind users that supervised Woebot's randomisn't the same as seeing a rate monitor, and that the data Woebot is not a therapist. ized control trial. could be used to estimate the doctor; it doesn't diagnose, Woebot's icon is a robot. The accessibility and and it doesn't replace therapy, life customer's If it doesn't understand what relative anonymity of Woebot expectancy. As part of settlements made in she said. But for the millions a person has typed, it will makes it an attractive opof people in the world who tion. (Woebot's team never March, Catidilo had to clearly apologize and explain that mediit for not state was that it is only a few months old sees any user data and has just need a little boost, she believes Woebot can help. cal use. and still learning. If, after promised to never sell user "The idea of therapy is so the went FTC 2016 In has users don't Facebook information; prolonged use, and loaded for burdensome of creator Lumos after said it does not read or sell ads show signs of improveLabs, some people, and we're not the Lumosity brain training ment- for instance, if they based on the content of mesthat we're not as intengames, for making unfounded consistently rate their energy sages sent between people and that its could claims words levels as low or use key sive," Darcy said. "We have games businesses.) this such as "sad," "anxious" or "It's not as specific and it hope that people will use helpusers perform better at us and not even realize we're work and school, and reduce doesn't go as deep as seeing "depressed" to describe their a mental health tool." or them said an mood Woebot nudges delay cognitive impairtherapist," ment associated with age student toward seeking medical help. (c)2017 Los Angeles Times. Nick, a self-defeati- ot E)1 30, 2011 Charles Roehrig, the director of the Center for Sustainable Health Spending at Altarum Institute. Spending included hospital care, traditional therapy and counseling sessions and it's 2 am. and you're having a panic attack, a physician isn't going to be available at that time." Woebot sends users a message each day to check in with them, asks them about their mood and energy levels, and draws from cognitive behavior therapy to combat fool humans? LI 0 Ed said. A therapist can't reach everyone at every minute of the day. For $39 a month, Woebot can. "You can access it when you need it most," Darcy said. "If TNS . h,,... ,n i n klI g.,,..... , - spending at $201 billion (more than what was spent on heart conditions and cancers), according to 2013 research by ed a a it e al d, sr ar tr, TI ot to to nc vi at pei major from Spanish Fork, is in his second year of DSU's NURSING continued from page 5 nursing program and hopes to one day assist in an operating room during surgeries. "I like that kind of stuff, just almost from the scientific Unlike Bemacchi, Matt Certonio, a junior nursing view like anatomy and physiology," Certonio said. Certonio said he plans on attending graduate school to become a nurse practitioner in critical care. Because DSU is a smaller , , r , ' , I , '; -- - 7. T, n, c, cf ' 33. wt c, z, university that only accepts 40 students for the program each fall and spring semester, Bemacchi said there are more opportunities to get to know your professors and have time. Vicky O'Neil, department chair and associate professor of nursing, said between 100 and 125 students typically apply for the nursing program during each application period. O'Neil said acceptance into the program depends on overall CPA, prerequisite nursing courses GPA, and exam scores. She said the admissions committee used to require an interview and letters of recommendation but no longer require them. "Interviews are time extensive, and they can be very subjective," O'Neil said. "Letters of recommendation are very subjective and as a general rule, all of them say 'Oh, they're the best candidate." O'Neil said DSU will offer a BSN starting fall 2018 semester, and students can start applying by (RN-BS- se spring semester. To learn more about DSU's nursing program, visit health. dixie .edu an, hol Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) the program prepares students to assume one-on-o- re Amanda Nielson, a senior nursing major from St. George, assists Gretchen Peterson, a junior nursing major from St. George, with checking a chest tube for air leaks Thursday at the Taylor Health and Science Building. Dixie State University currently offers three different nursing deand grees: an Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Registered Nurse Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science (BSN). fri DSU Nursing Degrees -- the role of a registered nurse students are admitted each spring and fall , semester -- this degree can be completed in three Registered Nurse Bachelor of after students complete their ADN and get their RN license, they can apply for the BSN program it is designed to be flexible for each student, but can be completed in 12 months or on a e basis -- -- part-tim- Pre-Licen- se Bachelor of Science (BSN) this is a four year program designed for students who do not currently hold a state nursing license :applications are available Spring 201 8 -- Source: health.dixie.edu r |