July 6, 2025 • 7 mins
Artificial intelligence is making waves in mental health care, and chatbot therapists
(digital tools designed to talk us through our struggles) are at the forefront. They promise
accessible, affordable support that’s always just a tap away. As these platforms grow, it’s worth
asking: Are they a game-changer for mental wellness, a passing fad, or something we should
approach with caution? Dr. Eva Ritvo breaks it down.
(digital tools designed to talk us through our struggles) are at the forefront. They promise
accessible, affordable support that’s always just a tap away. As these platforms grow, it’s worth
asking: Are they a game-changer for mental wellness, a passing fad, or something we should
approach with caution? Dr. Eva Ritvo breaks it down.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the Doctor Wendywall Show on KFI AM
six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. Robots as therapists,
Oh my goodness. Look, artificial intelligence, we know is making
waves everywhere, but lately, also in mental healthcare, there are
such things as chat butt therapists. Uh huh. Now, what
(00:24):
they promise, of course, is accessible, affordable support that's just
a click or tap away. Are they a game changer
for mental wellness? Are they a passing fad? Or are
they something we should approach with caution? My guest, doctor
Eva Ritfo, a Miami based psychiatrist. It's over thirty years
(00:46):
practicing in Miami Beach, Florida. Also the author of one
of my favorite books, be Kinder, The Transformative Power of Kindness,
and also co founder of the Bold Beauty Project, where
we've had you on the show before, a nonprofit that
pairs women with disabilities with award winning photographers to create
art exhibtions, exhibits and raise awareness. Doctor Ritfo, you're a
(01:10):
real human, right, You're not a robot.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I'm not a robot, definitely not.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
So what is your take on robot therapy?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Well, I think it's really fascinating, and you know, I'm
a skeptic about these new things, but I have to
tell you it's pretty impressive. You know, there's a lot
of different ones out there, but they are trained, some
of them are trained very very well, and they deliver
(01:42):
really good advice and they help a lot of people.
So I think that they are a very important tool,
and I think they're here to stay. I don't think
they're going away, but they definitely need to be used
with caution, and there's times when it be very dangerous
to use AI and inappropriate to use AI, so I think,
(02:05):
you know, buyer beware, But in the right circumstances, with
the right support, I think they're wonderful. I particularly like
them as a supplement to the work that I do
with people.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So for if I can call it this regular run
of the mill depression, anxiety or an adjustment disorder, somebody
going through a divorce or a loss in some way,
I'm sure they can be very helpful.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
But what about if.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Somebody is expressing suicidal ideation? Is there something I mean,
not a good idea, right, So what happens is if
someone comes into your office and they're expressing suicide ideation.
You can sort of say, excuse me, I have to
step outside for a moment and make a phone call
and get some medical assistance for them immediately, right, But
what's a robot going to do?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Right? Well, I think that's whenever you have a very
serious medical illness, you don't want to trust it to AI.
You really need that human way, the years of experience,
And that's certainly true, not just with suicidal ideation. That's
obviously an extreme, but you know, there's many forms of
mental illness that are really complicated, difficult to diagnose, and
(03:13):
it's very important to have somebody with experience, say if
it's a substance abuse problem, bipolar problem, as you mentioned,
severe depression, severe trauma. There's many illnesses when a robot
is not going to be your best answer. Robot is
very good, as you mentioned, anxiety, situational I want advice.
(03:35):
You know, I've just got in a conflict with a
friend and I don't know how to handle it. Those
are the sorts of things that they're really good at
because they're trained to handle those sorts of problems. They're
there twenty four to seven. Most of them are free,
and you're not going to go that far wrong. They're
also very trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, which is sort
(03:56):
of taking a look at your own thoughts, seeing which
thoughts may may not make sense, and helping you find substitutions.
So I think that is where it's going to be
the most helpful, particularly for people who can't access therapists,
if they don't have any that are readily available, if
they can't afford therapy. I think there's a real niche there.
(04:17):
I think any sort of complicated mental or physical illness,
you really want to go in, you want somebody to
see you, and you want to you know, even have
multiple opinions. You know, remember, if you've got a robot,
you've got one opinion.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah. If you go into, you know, a psychiatrist and
you say, you know, these are my symptoms, what do
you think. Oftentimes you can go home and you can
see another psychiatrist a week later and digest the information
and then you know, you can feed some of that
into your AI therapists and they can really walk you
through some of the risks and benefits of medication very well.
(04:54):
They can also do a great job. Let's say you
have somebody with a complicated medical history. They're wonderful at
looking at drug drug interactions, figuring out what other types
of things might be going on that, you know, we
may as a human might forget to ask every little thing.
So they're they're very good for you know that second
slash third opinion, But anything serious, we are really not
(05:18):
there yet, and I don't know if we're ever really
going to get there.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
You know, doctor RedFox. Just this morning, because I'm going
on vacation and a medication that I take needs to
be refrigerated, so I asked them. I asked the robot
which is better to take it with a little frozen
pack hoping that it will never get warm anywhere, to
take it early, or to take it after I get back,
And it laid down all the pros and cons and
apparently told me I should take it early.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
The best idea. That's the thing, you know, that's the thing.
When you wear it is more patient. And I always
find like, if I'm in a session with somebody and
I want to explain something, I only get to talk
sort of a little bit because it's their session. And
so oftentimes what I'll do when I finished with a
patient is all feed the problem into chat GVT and
then it'll give me a whole page of things and
(06:03):
then I'll send it over to the patient. I'll say
this is what we talked about today, and it gives
them a more in depth way to look at it
and reflect it.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's like you can outsource the psycho education.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Part absolutely and you can say bring this to your partner,
bring this to your child, et cetera. And you know
they do prompt you with very very good questions. So
I think that's another thing as well that can be
quite useful. Say I'm discussing with somebody, how do you
deal with their narcissistic partner? And we get to like,
you know, the tippy top of the iceberg. But you
(06:34):
can stay with chat GBT for hours and then say.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
They never tire, doctor Rifo, we have to go, We
have to go.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But it's always so.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Quick on radio. But I want to say that I'm
very thrilled to hear that you, as a medical doctor
and psychiatrist, aren't afraid that the robots are going to
replace you. That's good news.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Oh no, no, no, no no no. I think it's
a it's a wonderful sephal that we work together, and
everybody you know needs more support and mental health, so
I'm delighted that you know more people can access it.
This is com and don't forget there's still a stigma
with mental illness, and so some people who might never
come to a therapist will at least get online and
start to get some good advice and hopefully, you know,
(07:17):
can lead a better, happier, more fulfilling life.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Well, thanks so much for being with us. When we
come back, I have another special guest, this one from
UCLA who specializes this psychiatrist in cannabis use disorder, doctor
Eva ritfol Thanks so much for being with us. We'll
see you next time. You're listening to the Doctor Wendy
Wall Show on KFI AM six forty live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio app. Right now, let's go to the twenty
(07:42):
four hour KFI Newsroom
Welcome back to the Doctor Wendywall Show on KFI AM
six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. Robots as therapists,
Oh my goodness. Look, artificial intelligence, we know is making
waves everywhere, but lately, also in mental healthcare, there are
such things as chat butt therapists. Uh huh. Now, what
(00:24):
they promise, of course, is accessible, affordable support that's just
a click or tap away. Are they a game changer
for mental wellness? Are they a passing fad? Or are
they something we should approach with caution? My guest, doctor
Eva Ritfo, a Miami based psychiatrist. It's over thirty years
(00:46):
practicing in Miami Beach, Florida. Also the author of one
of my favorite books, be Kinder, The Transformative Power of Kindness,
and also co founder of the Bold Beauty Project, where
we've had you on the show before, a nonprofit that
pairs women with disabilities with award winning photographers to create
art exhibtions, exhibits and raise awareness. Doctor Ritfo, you're a
(01:10):
real human, right, You're not a robot.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I'm not a robot, definitely not.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
So what is your take on robot therapy?
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Well, I think it's really fascinating, and you know, I'm
a skeptic about these new things, but I have to
tell you it's pretty impressive. You know, there's a lot
of different ones out there, but they are trained, some
of them are trained very very well, and they deliver
(01:42):
really good advice and they help a lot of people.
So I think that they are a very important tool,
and I think they're here to stay. I don't think
they're going away, but they definitely need to be used
with caution, and there's times when it be very dangerous
to use AI and inappropriate to use AI, so I think,
(02:05):
you know, buyer beware, But in the right circumstances, with
the right support, I think they're wonderful. I particularly like
them as a supplement to the work that I do
with people.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So for if I can call it this regular run
of the mill depression, anxiety or an adjustment disorder, somebody
going through a divorce or a loss in some way,
I'm sure they can be very helpful.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
But what about if.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Somebody is expressing suicidal ideation? Is there something I mean,
not a good idea, right, So what happens is if
someone comes into your office and they're expressing suicide ideation.
You can sort of say, excuse me, I have to
step outside for a moment and make a phone call
and get some medical assistance for them immediately, right, But
what's a robot going to do?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Right? Well, I think that's whenever you have a very
serious medical illness, you don't want to trust it to AI.
You really need that human way, the years of experience,
And that's certainly true, not just with suicidal ideation. That's
obviously an extreme, but you know, there's many forms of
mental illness that are really complicated, difficult to diagnose, and
(03:13):
it's very important to have somebody with experience, say if
it's a substance abuse problem, bipolar problem, as you mentioned,
severe depression, severe trauma. There's many illnesses when a robot
is not going to be your best answer. Robot is
very good, as you mentioned, anxiety, situational I want advice.
(03:35):
You know, I've just got in a conflict with a
friend and I don't know how to handle it. Those
are the sorts of things that they're really good at
because they're trained to handle those sorts of problems. They're
there twenty four to seven. Most of them are free,
and you're not going to go that far wrong. They're
also very trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, which is sort
(03:56):
of taking a look at your own thoughts, seeing which
thoughts may may not make sense, and helping you find substitutions.
So I think that is where it's going to be
the most helpful, particularly for people who can't access therapists,
if they don't have any that are readily available, if
they can't afford therapy. I think there's a real niche there.
(04:17):
I think any sort of complicated mental or physical illness,
you really want to go in, you want somebody to
see you, and you want to you know, even have
multiple opinions. You know, remember, if you've got a robot,
you've got one opinion.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah. If you go into, you know, a psychiatrist and
you say, you know, these are my symptoms, what do
you think. Oftentimes you can go home and you can
see another psychiatrist a week later and digest the information
and then you know, you can feed some of that
into your AI therapists and they can really walk you
through some of the risks and benefits of medication very well.
(04:54):
They can also do a great job. Let's say you
have somebody with a complicated medical history. They're wonderful at
looking at drug drug interactions, figuring out what other types
of things might be going on that, you know, we
may as a human might forget to ask every little thing.
So they're they're very good for you know that second
slash third opinion, But anything serious, we are really not
(05:18):
there yet, and I don't know if we're ever really
going to get there.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
You know, doctor RedFox. Just this morning, because I'm going
on vacation and a medication that I take needs to
be refrigerated, so I asked them. I asked the robot
which is better to take it with a little frozen
pack hoping that it will never get warm anywhere, to
take it early, or to take it after I get back,
And it laid down all the pros and cons and
apparently told me I should take it early.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
The best idea. That's the thing, you know, that's the thing.
When you wear it is more patient. And I always
find like, if I'm in a session with somebody and
I want to explain something, I only get to talk
sort of a little bit because it's their session. And
so oftentimes what I'll do when I finished with a
patient is all feed the problem into chat GVT and
then it'll give me a whole page of things and
(06:03):
then I'll send it over to the patient. I'll say
this is what we talked about today, and it gives
them a more in depth way to look at it
and reflect it.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's like you can outsource the psycho education.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Part absolutely and you can say bring this to your partner,
bring this to your child, et cetera. And you know
they do prompt you with very very good questions. So
I think that's another thing as well that can be
quite useful. Say I'm discussing with somebody, how do you
deal with their narcissistic partner? And we get to like,
you know, the tippy top of the iceberg. But you
(06:34):
can stay with chat GBT for hours and then say.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
They never tire, doctor Rifo, we have to go, We
have to go.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But it's always so.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Quick on radio. But I want to say that I'm
very thrilled to hear that you, as a medical doctor
and psychiatrist, aren't afraid that the robots are going to
replace you. That's good news.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Oh no, no, no, no no no. I think it's
a it's a wonderful sephal that we work together, and
everybody you know needs more support and mental health, so
I'm delighted that you know more people can access it.
This is com and don't forget there's still a stigma
with mental illness, and so some people who might never
come to a therapist will at least get online and
start to get some good advice and hopefully, you know,
(07:17):
can lead a better, happier, more fulfilling life.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Well, thanks so much for being with us. When we
come back, I have another special guest, this one from
UCLA who specializes this psychiatrist in cannabis use disorder, doctor
Eva ritfol Thanks so much for being with us. We'll
see you next time. You're listening to the Doctor Wendy
Wall Show on KFI AM six forty live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio app. Right now, let's go to the twenty
(07:42):
four hour KFI Newsroom
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