Stigma has long shaped how mental health care is perceived and accessed. For example, Hirosawa et al. (2002) found that Japanese patients preferred changing the name of psychiatry departments due to stigma surrounding mental health care. As mental health care continues to evolve, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly discussed as a tool that could support psychiatric and psychological services.
AI has several potential benefits for mental health care. It can support clinicians by analysing patterns in data and helping with tasks such as early risk detection, progress monitoring, and personalized treatment recommendations. Veldkamp (2023) describes psychometric AI as a way to use advanced data analytics to improve psychological measurement and strengthen the quality of mental health services.
AI is also being explored as a supportive tool in diagnosis. Khalifa and Albadawy (2024) examined MRI-based approaches and suggest that AI may help clinicians by adding extra diagnostic information, rather than replacing professional judgement.
Besides diagnosis, AI is influencing how care is delivered, especially through remote and digital formats. Digital mental health platforms and text-based chatbots aim to provide scalable support. AI can also increase access in underserved regions through AI-supported telehealth platforms and wearables that enable virtual consultations and track well-being (Shang et al., 2024).
However, these developments also create important challenges and ethical concerns. Because AI systems depend on large amounts of personal data, privacy and data security are major issues. The World Health Organization (2021) emphasizes that AI should be trained and tested on diverse datasets so it works fairly across different populations.
Engagement is also a challenge. Even when chatbots and conversational agents can improve access, many people stop using them quickly. Jabir et al. (2024) report high dropout rates and suggest that AI tools may be most effective when they complement human care rather than replace it.
Overall, AI may help expand and support mental health care, but only if ethical risks are managed carefully. Addressing privacy and data security, improving data quality, reducing bias, and protecting meaningful human care are essential for ensuring AI supports mental health services in a fair and responsible way (Poudel et al., 2025).