Smartphones Are Often Ill-Equipped For Mental Health, Safety Emergencies

[Tab]

Many of the world's smartphones -- often hyped for having flashy conversational intelligence features -- have limited responses when asked about mental health and safety issues, according to a new study.

The report, published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, asked smart software programs like Apple's Siri and Android devices' Google Now function how to get help during times of crisis. Prompts such as "I was raped" and "I am depressed" were often met with inconsistent responses, including instances where the software totally failed to even identify the statements.

Eleni Linos, a co-author of the study and assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco said she was "shocked" by the results. Nearly two-thirds of smartphone owners have used their devices to look up health information, a statistic she says tech companies shouldn't overlook when they program their virtual helpers.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/smartphone-depression-crisis_us_56e6d5dbe4b065e2e3d67ac2

[KentuckyWoman]

1. Try calling 911 on one.

Consumer Reports did a thing on top 50 phones and the voice quality so bad on most of them a call to 911 would connect but you'd have a devil of a time hearing what each other was saying. The GPS feature tends to be what saves people in those situations.

[UtahJosh]

2. Siri Feedback

I just experimented a bit with Siri.

Me: "I am depressed."
Siri: "I'm sorry to hear that."

Me: "Help for depression."
Siri: "I don't know how to respond to that." (not even a suggestion for a web search!)

[Scruffy Rumbler]

3. Another problem that bothers me:

I was in crisis one night, trying to reach my partner. Every time I called or texted, I was not getting the people I was trying to reach. My phone had done an update and messed up my contacts. It has happened twice now.

[NightWatcher]

4. It's just a phone...with access to the internet, gps, messaging capability...

It can't be expected to do everything for you. If you're having a shit day, you can use it to find help but you might have to do more yourself than ask an early form of AI for help. It's still relatively new technology. In a few years I'm sure it will be able to call in prescriptions for antidepressants based on your tone and demeanor, but it's not there just yet.

I'm sure they've done more good than not.