Content Creator - Gayathri Vennankot
Content Editor - Aman Sahva
Content Illustrator - Nirvan Bajracharya
Having algorithms that can understand and diagnose mental health conditions by analyzing social media posts and survey responses is proof of the development in AI over the years. Though the uses of AI are currently limited, opportunities are far extended.
Our minds take drastic measures to ease the anguish, smart algorithms find patterns and study behaviors that allow the physician to easily diagnose and hence follow up with the required treatments.
Future AI Technologies could help destigmatize mental health. The possibility of mental health disorders being diagnosed as corporeally as diabetes or heart disorders would take down the embarrassment and discomfort around the topic. Scientist Pearl Chiu from the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory hopes for the same and is working towards making it a reality.
Many researchers are actively working to bring more innovative and realistic ways to use AI in the real world.
Uses Of Artificial Intelligence In Mental Health Care:
Even though the concept of using AI in a realistic and viable way is still advancing, there are quite a few that pave the road.
The machine learning algorithm which was created at Vanderbilt university medical center gathered the data(age, gender, medication, and diagnostic history) of more than 5000 patients admitted at the hospital for suicide attempts and self-harm to predict the possibility of the same person attempting suicide. The results of the trial proved to be 84% accurate for someone who would attempt to take their life the following week and 80% accurate for someone who might attempt in the coming two years.
Even smartphones have become practical resources. Phones with algorithms to recognize the changes in typing speed, voice tone, word choice, and also monitor the behavior of someone over a while could predict the mental health of the individual.
EAR(Effortless Assessment of Risk States) is a similar AI that uses smartphone data to find people in need of help because of psychological distress. Researchers believe that someday EAR would be able to pinpoint individuals at risk of suicide.
Facebook, a social media platform we are very familiar with, uses AI Algorithm to flag posts that show possible suicide threats or expressions that show psychological distress. The platform increased its efforts to locate high-risk posts after several users live-streamed their suicide attempts on the app in early 2017.
Digital interviews by virtual humans. The idea may seem bizarre but it is possible. Having a virtual assistant conduct a diagnostic interview with predetermined questions could bring drastic changes as virtual interviews eliminate the possibility of the interviewee feeling judged by a human. This also in turn opens up the opportunity for the person to communicate their emotions better.
24/7 chats bots, This AI-based technology helps us take care of our mental health. It connects with the user and efficiently works with them to give better results. The reason this stands out from other resources is its accessibility and affordability. Today, we are made available to many applications that track our moods and provides us with a detailed analysis of our daily mental health. It also includes other activities like meditation and relaxation tools. Some apps with such goals are:
Wysa
Woebot
Moodkit
Pacifica
It is important that we look into the void of human emotions, sometimes even birthed out of denial of our interests. AI makes this task easier. We can hope that many more Innovations are born to help us fight this battle more efficiently. Just because no one else can heal and bring light to your inner self doesn’t mean you have to do it alone or leave it unchecked, let AI be the aid for every mental health-related issue. There again the significant presence of emotional human intelligence is involved to lead another generation.
References:
https://medicalfuturist.com/artificial-intelligence-in-mental-health-care/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/08/19/five-ways-ai-can-help-revolutionize-mental-healthcare/?sh=74c3c67913ab
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