Relationship-Centered Care: Relatedness and Responsible Design for Human Connections in Mental-Health Care

AI mental health tools should strengthen human relationships, not replace them. The paper warns that designing AI agents to simulate close therapeutic bonds risks creating an "appearance of connection" that may actually undermine patients' fundamental psychological need for genuine human relationships—the foundation of long-term recovery.

Current design approaches may inadvertently harm patients by displacing authentic connections. Rather than optimizing the bond between patient and AI agent, designers should focus on how AI can "scaffold" or support existing human relationships with therapists, family, and peers, positioning the technology as a catalyst rather than a substitute.

Psychological needs should guide AI design in mental health. The paper applies Self-Determination Theory to show that relatedness—the human need to feel connected to others—is a basic psychological requirement that AI systems must respect and protect, not exploit or simulate.

Mental health AI should be evaluated on its impact to patients' entire support network. Success shouldn't be measured solely by patient-AI interaction quality, but by whether the technology strengthens a patient's "relational ecology"—their connections with therapists, caregivers, family, and community.

Responsible AI design requires rethinking the role of conversational agents in mental health. Rather than training AI to be better companions, developers should ask how these tools can support and enhance the human relationships that are essential to psychological wellbeing.