Program on Internet, Health and Society
The program in Internet, Health, and Society explores how technology interacts with mental health, influencing human psychology and behavior. We focus on both the negative and positive aspects of this rich interface, including issues such as screen and video game addiction, cyberbullying, online personality changes, online privacy violations, and the myriad promising treatments made possible by new technologies, from video-enabled remote delivery, to virtual reality desensitization and AI-mediated interventions.
AI in Mental Healthcare: Ethics and Efficacy
AI-Driven Report Generation: We are developing and applying assessment scales for mental health EHRs that use LLMs for note writing, focusing on features, security and ethics. Current work evaluates commercial tools for transparency in LLM training, bias correction and evidence- based evaluation.
Racial Bias in AI Diagnosis: This research examines racial bias in psychiatric diagnosis and treatment recommendations across leading LLMs (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and a local medical-focused LLaMA 3 variant). We assess how race-neutral, race-implied and race-explicit patient information affects AI outputs, highlighting concerns about perpetuating healthcare disparities.
AI in Psychological Research: We explore the capabilities and limitations of AI in generating entire psychological research papers, from hypothesis generation to manuscript formatting, based on existing datasets. This work aims to provide practical demonstrations and identify risks associated with AI in research.
Enhancing Video Visits and Remote Therapies
XR in Remote Group Therapy: This project analyzes how extended reality (XR), including virtual and augmented reality, can address limitations in online group therapy for anxiety disorders. The focus is on enhancing group identification and interactivity to improve therapeutic outcomes.
Impact of Remote Treatment on Clinical Practice (MED-CREATE Trial): This randomized controlled trial investigates how communication modality (video vs. in-person) influences creative problem-solving by clinicians and disclosure by patients. The study aims to inform the design of effective video visit communication strategies.
Broader Implications of Technology on Mental Health and Society
Problematic Internet Use and Digital Personality: Our research has long focused on the psychological effects of internet use, including "internet addiction," online impulsivity, cyberbullying, and the impact of digital technologies on personality traits and mental health treatment delivery.
Overdiagnosis of PTSD: Ongoing debate and research explore whether the definition of trauma and PTSD has been overexpanded, potentially impacting children and adolescents by fostering overprotective environments rather than resilience.
Online Information-Seeking Behavior: Analyzing parents' online information-seeking regarding their children's psychiatric medication using qualitative Reddit data and AI.