Your voice may yield important information about your mental health. It’s not just what you say — the words — but it is also how you say it — the music. Machine learning has been used to scan large databases of vocal samples, and researchers have been able to identify certain vocal features and patterns which are characteristic of certain psychiatric disorders, such as major depression and schizophrenia.
Artificial intelligence (AI) researchers are particularly excited about the possibility of using AI and machine learning to analyze vocal patterns and characteristics of individuals with psychiatric disorders, with the hope that speech samples, obtained either in the clinic or remotely, could be used to guide users, both patients and clinicians, in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues.
In an article published in the New York Times, Kate Bentley, PhD a clinical psychologist at MGH and assistant professor at HMS, discusses how AI could be used in the future both to diagnose and monitor psychiatric disorders. Dr. Bentley’s research focuses on the use of mobile technology to collect real-time data from individuals at high risk of suicide, with the ultimate goal to use this information to develop scalable interventions to reduce the risk of suicidal behaviors.
Although there is a rapidly growing number of apps and online programs advertising their ability to identify (and often treat) depression, stress, and anxiety, Dr. Bentley reminds us that this field is still in its infancy. There is considerable excitement about using AI and machine learning to increase access to mental health services at a time of great need; however, we need to fully explore and validate these technologies in large-scale, well-designed studies.
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Burke AS, Shapero BG, Pelletier-Baldelli A, Deng WY, Nyer MB, Leathem L, Namey L, Landa C, Cather C, Holt DJ. Rationale, Methods, Feasibility, and Preliminary Outcomes of a Transdiagnostic Prevention Program for At-Risk College Students. Front Psychiatry. 2020 Feb 25;10:1030.
DeTore NR, Sylvia L, Park ER, Burke A, Levison JH, Shannon A, Choi KW, Jain FA, Coman DC, Herman J, Perlis R, Fava M, Holt DJ. Promoting resilience in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic with a brief online intervention. J Psychiatr Res. 2022 Feb;146:228-233. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.011. Epub 2021 Nov 7. PMID: 34857369; PMCID: PMC8572311.
Clinical Psychologist, Depression Clinical and Research Program, MGH
Director, Suicide Prevention Research Program, MGH Center for Precision Psychiatry
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
