Minds and Machines

Interacting over the telephone with a machine, rather than a person, by listening to a menu of recorded voice options and responding by pressing numbers on a push-button telephone has become one of the realities defining life in the current era. Experiencing these interactive voice response (IVR) systems can be frustrating if the menu doesn't lead to a satisfactory result, but the convenience and continuous around-the-clock availability of such systems are major advantages, and dissatisfied users may forget that having direct access to a person at the other end of the line doesn't guarantee a good outcome. See also p 905. The use of computer-automated IVR systems is also expanding into one of the most personal areas of human experience—the evaluation and treatment of mental disorders.¹The use of computerized systems for collecting data and administering rating scales²on mental health topics seems straightforward enough, but there has even