The brand new PhD candidate has developed a computer program that analyzes thought registrations using natural language processing and recognizes underlying patterns. In this way, people with depressive symptoms can gain better and faster insight into negative thoughts. This approach is similar to the cognitive therapy that many psychologists offer in their doctor’s office. With this research, Burger’s wants to contribute to the use of AI technology in the development of software for the prevention and treatment of (early) depression.
Digitization in mental health care
Digitization is now taking place at an increasingly rapid pace in mental health care, just like the rest of healthcare. For example, more and more (outpatient) checks and conversations are taking place remotely, by telephone or via video calls. For example, health insurer VGZ and mental health practitioners saw in 2021 that the number of online therapeutic conversations has increased by almost a third in the Netherlands. With the new computer program that analyzes thoughts, people with depressive symptoms may even be partly treated by a ‘robot psychologist’ in the future.
Prevention and treatment of depression
In any case, analyzing thoughts by AI is definitely an interesting and innovative treatment option. Burger says: “Our thoughts determine how we feel and behave. Understanding certain mindsets is an important part of the prevention and treatment of depression. I researched how AI can support people with symptoms of depression. This gives people with depressive symptoms better and faster insight into negative thoughts.”
Computer program helps with depression
The research shows that AI is very good at identifying core thoughts of depressed people, such as ‘I am not competent’ or ‘I am not loved’. The AI was trained to recognize underlying thoughts of structured, short texts. For example, consider the combination “I’m not loved” with the core idea “My boyfriend doesn’t like me because he ignores me when I wave at him enthusiastically.” Understanding these unhelpful thoughts is a first step in cognitive therapy. Only when someone recognizes them can they possibly be replaced by more healthy thoughts. Unfortunately, depressed people are often unable to identify these unhelpful thoughts, but AI could therefore support this.
Interactive computer systems
According to the researcher, AI has great potential for supporting people with mental health problems. “However, the interactivity between user and computer systems for depression treatment has been limited to date. Franziska Burger: “As a person you want the system to understand your content. With our research we have now taken a step in that direction. We saw that people were very capable of discovering their core thoughts with a smart chat program.”
ICT&health congres 2023
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