Click Here The algorithm will see you now - AI and psychiatry
Dec 12, 2025
Dr. Stephen Xenakis, a retired Army brigadier general and psychiatrist, dives into the intersection of AI and mental health. He discusses how AI can analyze clinical interviews for diagnostic insights. They explore the potential of structured interviews to deepen AI's understanding of patients. Stephen highlights AI's role in aiding rural clinicians and using wearables for data-driven care. However, he emphasizes that while AI is a tool, the artistry of psychiatry remains essential, requiring human judgment to navigate the complexities of mental health.
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Military Career Shapes A Psychiatrist
- Stephen Xenakis spent 28 years in the Army and retired as a brigadier general, treating military families and veterans.
- His career included work with detainees and advising on blast concussions, shaping his openness to novel therapies.
Interviews Over Questionnaires
- Stephen Xenakis proposes using open-ended clinical interviews instead of crude questionnaires to capture nuance.
- He argues large language models can detect word patterns and correlations far beyond multiple-choice forms.
Structure Interviews For AI Comparison
- Design clinical interviews with consistent core questions so AI can compare cases apples-to-apples.
- Use structured yet open-ended prompts like problem, duration, severity, history, and sleep to aid model analysis.