AI challenges therapists in Ukrainian war zone mental health support

A real-world trial in Ukraine‘s combat zones reveals AI chatbots can provide meaningful mental health support when human therapists are inaccessible, though they still fall short of human care. The eight-week randomized controlled study with 104 women diagnosed with anxiety disorders found that while both human therapy and AI support reduced anxiety symptoms, human therapists produced substantially better outcomes—a crucial finding as digital mental health tools proliferate in crisis settings worldwide.

The big picture: Human therapists outperformed AI in reducing anxiety symptoms, but the AI chatbot still delivered significant clinical improvements in a war zone where consistent human support was limited.

• Women receiving traditional therapy three times weekly experienced 45-50% reductions in anxiety on standardized clinical assessments, compared to 30-35% reductions in the AI chatbot group.
• The Friend chatbot provided 24/7 support using cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing techniques—therapy approaches that rely less on relational dynamics.

Why this matters: The study demonstrates AI’s potential as a mental health adjunct rather than a replacement, particularly in crisis settings where professional care is scarce or inconsistent.

• The results offer a compelling use case for AI chatbots as scalable, cost-effective mental health supports in humanitarian emergencies and underserved regions.

The empathy gap: While technically sophisticated, the AI chatbot lacked the emotional presence and witnessing capacity that makes human therapy particularly effective.

• The chatbot could simulate empathy through sentiment analysis and learning algorithms but couldn’t provide the authentic human connection that appears crucial for deeper healing.

Where we go from here: The future of mental health support will likely involve hybrid systems where AI tools extend but don’t replace human care.

• AI-powered solutions show promise for providing psychological relief in situations where human interventions are impractical or impossible.
• The study suggests professional oversight remains important when deploying AI mental health tools, especially for people in crisis situations.