Mental illnesses are more common, long-lasting and impactful than other health conditions. According to Mind, the mental health charity, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, with 1 in 6 people reporting experiencing a common mental health problem (e.g. anxiety and depression) in any given week in England, and these numbers are rising.
Mentail illnesses can also lead to disabilities, further illnesses and sometimes even suicide.
It is the second-largest source of burden of disease in England, and it is responsible for 72 million working days lost at a cost of £35 billion each year. The wider economic costs of mental illness in England have been estimated to be as much as £105 billion each year. In 2020/21 the total NHS mental health funding spend was a staggering £14.0 billion.
There are many ways that AI can help in the screening, diagnosing and treatment of mental illness.
Social media feeds can be analysed and and linguistic cues observed that may predict depression. For example, if sad posts or posts with a certain tone are continously posted then this could lead of early prediction of depression. Chatbots can then be used by employers to provide direct counseling services and recommendations. Further data for more nuanced diagnoses can be obtained by using an app that could monitor messaging, activity and usage for possible signs of depression or other conditions. This technology could be used to inform clinicians to enable more accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Systems such as these have the potential to assist healthcare professional in assigning the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, improve patient wellbeing and reduce healthcare costs.