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TLDR; creator should get a psychologist behind this project to avoid negative views. Disclaimer: I do not mean to belittle the author of the comment above in a

TLDR; creator should get a psychologist behind this project to avoid negative views. Disclaimer: I do not mean to belittle the author of the comment above in any way. I'm sharing my views on why I find it absurd to call a mental health tool like this irresponsible without a greenlight from a psychologist. I don't understand how people find these things so irresponsible. It's the same with using an LLM for therapy. Many therapists are furious with that, regardless of how effective it has been for many people. In the same way, the author of the comment above seem to find it irresponsible for the creator of this app to share this tool without having it greenlighted by a psychologist (the establishment). This is despite the fact that the creator has had amazing outcomes with his newfound method of dealing with social anxiety and is now sharing it with the world. In my view, his experience speaks for itself and it is up to users whether they want to trust his words and try it out. There's a clear tendency to demonize anything that contradicts or hasn't been greenlighted by the establishment. If you follow this logic to the extreme, we cannot as human beings share recommendations to others based on our own experiences when it comes to mental health. As absurd as that it, it's probably best for the creator of this app to get a psychologist behind it to avoid this negative discourse.

rocketbop 3y ago
> It's the same with using an LLM for therapy. Many therapists are furious with that, regardless of how effective it has been for many people. I doubt therapists would get furious at people getting better, regardless of the mechanism, in the same way that doctors wouldn't be furious about a weird trick to cure rheumatism, the common cold, or any other malady.
ksenzee 3y ago
I understand this point of view - why shouldn't people share things that have helped them? - but that's why we regulate things like cures for diseases. Taken to an extreme, "here's what helped me" leads to cancer "cures" being hawked all over the internet. To me this app falls somewhere in between "here's how I quit procrastinating" and "here's how I cured my skin cancer." I can say from experience that social anxiety is not always easily treatable, even by your average therapist, and specialists in it have valuable knowledge that I think it would be wise to take advantage of if you're publicizing a treatment.
tolarewaju3 3y ago
Thanks! And yes, I know I'll have to strike a balance between "here's what helped me" and disclaimers. But this essentially expresses my views. I do understand that there are things I'll need to do to put people's minds at ease and like the author of the comment said, avoid negative discourse.

rocketbop 3y ago

> It's the same with using an LLM for therapy. Many therapists are furious with that, regardless of how effective it has been for many people. I doubt therapists would get furious at people getting better, regardless of the mechanism, in the same way that doctors wouldn't be furious about a weird trick to cure rheumatism, the common cold, or any other malady.

ksenzee 3y ago

I understand this point of view - why shouldn't people share things that have helped them? - but that's why we regulate things like cures for diseases. Taken to an extreme, "here's what helped me" leads to cancer "cures" being hawked all over the internet. To me this app falls somewhere in between "here's how I quit procrastinating" and "here's how I cured my skin cancer." I can say from experience that social anxiety is not always easily treatable, even by your average therapist, and specialists in it have valuable knowledge that I think it would be wise to take advantage of if you're publicizing a treatment.

tolarewaju3 3y ago

Thanks! And yes, I know I'll have to strike a balance between "here's what helped me" and disclaimers. But this essentially expresses my views. I do understand that there are things I'll need to do to put people's minds at ease and like the author of the comment said, avoid negative discourse.