Artificial intelligence in psychiatry
Potential uses of machine learning include predicting the risk of suicide, psychosis.
A project at the University of Southern California called SimSensei/Multisense uses software to track real-time behavior descriptors such as facial expressions, body postures, and acoustic features that can help identify psychological distress.36 This software is combined with a virtual human platform that communicates with the patient as a therapist would.36
The future of AI in health care appears to have great possibilities. Putting aside irrational fears of being replaced by computers one day, AI may someday be highly transformative, leading to vast improvements in patient care.
Bottom Line
Artificial intelligence (AI) —the development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence—is being developed for use in a wide range of medical specialties. Potential uses in psychiatry include predicting a patient’s risk for suicide or psychosis. Privacy concerns, ethical issues, and the potential for medical errors are among the challenges of AI use in psychiatry.
Related Resources
- Durstewitz D, Koppe G, Meyer-Lindenberg A. Deep neural networks in psychiatry. Mol Psychiatry. 2019. doi:10.1038/s41380-019-0365-9.
- Kretzschmar K, Tyroll H, Pavarini G, et al; NeurOx Young People’s Advisory Group. Can your phone be your therapist? Young people’s ethical perspectives on the use of fully automated conversational agents (chatbots) in mental health support. Biomed Inform Insights. 2019;11:1178222619829083. doi: 10.1177/1178222619829083.
