The recent developments in the medical industry show that AI promises quality care to patients who are suffering from mental illness.
FREMONT, CA: Could the advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI) be harnessed meaningfully in the area of mental health care? Could depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or any other psychiatric disorder be quantified so that care providers could add positively to their diagnosis or treatment? Experts are testing different ways in which AI can help in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Read on to know more.
AI-powered tools can identify depressive behavior early on and prevent patients from suffering from severe mental illnesses. To predict the likelihood of mental illness, the AI algorithms use the patient data, including age, gender, zip code, medication, and diagnostic history. Apart from this, mental health care providers also use smartphones coupled with similar monitoring ability that can track user behavior over a period of time to diagnose illness.
Another area where AI could help is the automation of specific tasks in mental healthcare that are repetitive. Conducting structured clinical interviews could be done by virtual assistants powered by AI. This virtual tool asks specific questions on mental health, and doctors can invest their time in more demanding tasks. This has the power to improve mental health research and treatment dramatically. AI algorithms could also find patterns and behavior that human interviewers might miss or leave out of their sight.
AI can not only help in the early detection of mental health issues but also participate meaningfully in treating mental disorders. As compared to a human psychiatrist, the most advantageous features of smart algorithms are their anonymity and accessibility. Today, many smartphone-based applications are available in the market. These apps can proactively check on patients, listen, and chat with users anytime, anywhere, and recommend activities that improve the users’ mental wellbeing.
Overall, AI is a promising solution for helping people overcome their mental health crisis.
