Siri and the Psychiatrist
What about for actual psychiatric uses, how does Siri fare? I asked Siri for a referral to a psychiatrist and it gave 15 listings, “fairly close to you.” One was a psychologist (Siri!), several were the names of hospitals, and for unclear reasons, the Maryland State Government Academic Services was among the listings. I was not among the psychiatrists listed, and I was certainly the closest to me at the time I asked. If the user wants to jump off a bridge, Siri gives a list of bridges in the vicinity – probably not what the patient’s psychiatrist might hope for.
Others are using Siri to answer more existential questions. Dr. Robert Roca, vice president of medical affairs at Sheppard Pratt Hospital has found Siri to be helpful in finding the meaning of life. “When I asked, she made some comment about a play where nothing happens,” Dr. Roca wrote. And when I asked Siri the meaning of life, it replied, “All evidence to date suggests chocolate,” leading me to wonder if Siri knows something about my psyche as compared to Dr. Roca’s.
Dr. Paul Nestadt, a psychiatry resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital, states: “Siri’s psychiatric training is somewhat lacking, although she does have a very analytical philosophy when it comes to psychotherapy. A patient can talk to her for hours without her making any interpretations. I did find myself experiencing some transference with her, demanding things from her with the same impatience I had with my mother as a small child.”
A personal assistant? Not quite. The comprehension/dictation system needs to be much better, as does the interface with other iPhone apps. Oh, but it is a lot of fun. Siri, please submit this article.
—Dinah Miller, M.D.
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Dr. Miller is the co-author of Shrink Rap: Three Psychiatrists Explain Their Work, recently released by Johns Hopkins University Press.
