How AI is changing mental health care
Here are four examples of using artificial intelligence to combat mental health issues
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to revolutionize mental health care. Below you’ll find four examples of researchers, startups, and established companies all working to help people affected by anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health issues.
Tess, a psychological AI that communicates via text
Tess, a psychological AI by X2_AI, “holds conversations with the patient, administering psychotherapy and providing psychoeducation through a variety of existing technology-based communications, including SMS, WhatsApp and web browsers.” The interactive use case demos on X2AI’s website illustrate Tess’ power.
In an interview with Alison E. Berman on Singularity Hub, X2AI CEO and co-founder Michiel Rauws discusses how the accuracy of Tess’ emotions and conversation algorithms have improved. The former evaluates how the person is feeling. The latter uses “natural language processing to understand what the user is actually talking about, to pick up expressions like, ‘I don’t want to wake up anymore in the morning.’” The full interview can be read here.
Using Instagram photos to diagnose depression
Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Vermont are combining machine learning tools and Instagram to improve depression screening. Using color analysis, metadata, and algorithmic face detection, they were able to reach 70 percent accuracy in detecting signs of depression (previous studies have GPs around 42 percent accuracy).
Participants diagnosed with clinical depression were more likely to post bluer, grayer, and darker-colored photos. They weren’t likely to use an Instagram filter, though when they did they “most disproportionately favored the Inkwell filter, which converts color photographs to black-and-white images.” More comments received meant photos were more likely to be posted by depressed participants, though they found the opposite to be true for likes received. The full study can be read here.
Detecting speech patterns in psychiatric interviews
IBM Research is using transcripts and audio from psychiatric interviews, coupled with machine learning techniques, to find patterns in speech to help clinicians accurately predict and monitor psychosis, schizophrenia, mania, and depression. Today, it only takes them about 300 words to help clinicians predict the probability of psychosis in a user.
Check out the full feature, titled “IBM 5 in 5: With AI, our words will be a window into our mental health,” where “5 in 5” is short for “five innovations that will help change our lives within five years.”
Using computer vision to diagnose ADHD in children
Scientists at the University of Texas at Arlington and Yale University are combining computing power and psychiatric expertise to diagnose ADHD in children. They use the latest in computer vision and machine learning to assess children while they are performing certain physical and computer exercises. The exercises test a child’s attention, decision-making, and ability to manage emotions.
More details on the project can be found in this Singularity Hub article by Peter Rejcek. The article also outlines a few other mental health tools that use artificial intelligence.
Those are only a few examples of using AI to combat mental health issues. There are more that together target the full spectrum of care, including screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
#endthestigma
