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Folks Are Using ChatGPT as a Therapist: What Could Go Right?
Also, Xiu Xiu, video games, and Kodak cameras
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Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu on the podcast
We’re all given some baggage for the airline trip that is our lives. Certain suitcases to lug around, shove into our overhead compartments, wrestle with at the claim carousel. Sometimes those bags are heavy.
Jamie Stewart of the experimental rock band Xiu Xiu is on the podcast this week. We talk about his baggage. Jamie’s parents were likely both affected by bipolar disorder and were abusive to Jamie and their siblings. In turn, those parents had been abused by their parents, all of Jamie’s grandparents. In 2002, Jamie’s father died by suicide after hinting strongly that he would be doing so for some time.
And then Jamie had to carry that weight, those bags, that luggage, that baggage. We have an open, honest talk about the depression and anxiety that followed Jamie throughout life. We also talk about the experience of writing about that trauma and then touring and playing those songs.
Xiu Xiu has a new album, 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips.
OH NO: people are using ChatGPT as a “free therapist”
And what could go wrong with that? Aside from every imaginable thing on the planet?
Fast Company reports on the inevitable confluence of a) the rise in diagnosable mental illnesses, b) the rise of AI and TikTok, and c) the inaccessibility of actual human mental health providers being able to provide help.
Based on how expensive and inaccessible therapy can be, the appeal of using ChatGPT in this capacity seems to be the free and fast responses. The fact that it’s not human is also a draw to some, allowing them to spill their deepest, darkest thoughts without fear of judgement. However, spilling your deepest, darkest thoughts to unregulated technology with questions around data privacy and surveillance is not without risks. There’s a reason why human therapists are bound by strict confidentiality or accountability requirements.
And yes, humans in mental health are nervous. And me, I’m terrified.
ChatGPT itself warns users that the tech “may occasionally generate incorrect information,” or “may occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content.” “Large language models are still untested in their approach,” says Marci. “They may produce hallucinations, which could be disorienting for vulnerable individuals, or even lead to dangerous recommendations around suicide if given the wrong prompts.”
Youth are in a mental health crisis! Quick! Video games!
Young people are going to play video games. They just are. I, myself, was one of the top Zaxxon players at my local 7-11 growing up. So if they’re going to play, maybe some good can come out of it. Johns Hopkins University examined some possibilities and found that games weren’t curing everything miraculously, there were some benefits.
The digital mental health interventions varied in content, but were all created with the intent of treating ADHD, depression, and anxiety. For example, for ADHD, some of the games involved racing or splitting attention, which required the user to pay attention to more than one activity to be successful in gameplay. For depression and anxiety, some of the interventions taught psychotherapy-oriented concepts in a game format. All games were conducted on technology platforms, such as computers, tablets, video game consoles, and smartphones. The video games are available to users in a variety of ways—some are available online, while others required access through specific research teams involved in the studies.
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The research team's analysis found that video games designed for patients with ADHD and depression provided a modest reduction (both with an effect size of .28) in symptoms related to ADHD and depression, such as improved ability to sustain attention and decreased sadness, based on participant and family feedback from the studies. An effect size of .28 is consistent with a smaller effect size, where as in-person interventions often produce moderate (.50) to large (.80) effects. By contrast, video games designed for anxiety did not show meaningful benefits (effect size of .07) for reducing anxiety symptoms for participants, based on participant and family feedback.
The phenomenon of accessibility of photography and the rise and fall of Kodak
Via Kottke, a look at how Kodak invented the idea of the democratization of photography, making it something everyone could do and really changing the way we examine our lives.
Of course, as revolutionary as Kodak was, they would go on to completely miss the boat when it came to the advent of digital photography.
Trivia tidbit I’ve always liked: the name Kodak comes from the sound of the shutter when a picture is taken. It’s an onomatopoeia.
Griffin Newman on Sleeping with Celebrities
Apparently there were these Muppet action figures around 20 years ago that were a really big deal. Will you find them mildly interesting? Perhaps. Interesting enough to keep you awake? Au contraire. Griffin Newman has the scoop.
You may know Griffin Newman from his roles as Arthur on The Tick, Orko on Masters of the Universe Revelations, Watto on The George Lucas Talk Show, or as Kevin Costner’s surprisingly fiery intern in Draft Day. Or maybe you know him from the message boards talking up the Palisades Toys Muppet action figures of the early to mid-aughts, where he had quite a lot to say about the intricacies involved in the brief but (to Griffin) memorable run the toys had. Let him tell you all about it. Or start to. You’ll be asleep before you know it.