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In the field of mental health, the MoodCapture application opens the door to real-time digital assistance.
Dartmouth researchers report developing the first smartphone app that uses artificial intelligence combined with facial image processing software to reliably detect early signs of depression even before the user knows something is wrong.
The app captures facial expressions
How does this app work? It uses the phone’s front-facing camera to capture facial expressions, as well as the person’s surroundings during regular use. Then, it evaluates the images by looking for clinical clues associated with depression. And the numbers speak for themselves. In a study of 177 people diagnosed with major depressive disorder, the app was found to be reliable, correctly identifying symptoms of depression with 75% accuracy.
What do these results suggest?
They suggest that the technology could be made public within the next five years with further developments, said the researchers, based in Dartmouth’s computer science department and the Geisel School of Medicine.
“This is the first time that natural images ‘in the wild’ have been used to predict depression“, said Andrew Campbellthe paper’s corresponding author and a professor of computer science at Dartmouth.There has been a movement towards digital mental health technology to finally come up with a tool that can predict the mood of people diagnosed with major depression in a reliable and non-intrusive way.“, he added. Moreover, using this application is very simple.”A person simply unlocks their phone and MoodCapture knows the dynamics of their depression and can suggest they seek help.“, the expert stressed.
A technological feat in the service of mental health, which we are going to hear about.
Slide: The main causes of depression