AI Mental Health Care: Precise Language Responses Vs Easy Rating Scale

Author: Lund University
Published: 2023/02/16
Peer Reviewed Publication: Yes
Category Topic: AI and Disabilities - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Recent research reveals that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is more accurate in measuring language emotions than rating scales. Patients are often asked to rate their feelings using a rating scale when talking to psychologists or doctors about their mental health. This is currently how depression and anxiety are diagnosed.

Introduction

Precise Language Responses Versus Easy Rating Scale - Comparing Respondents' Views with Clinicians' Belief of the Respondent's Views - PLoS ONE.

Patients are often asked to rate their feelings using a rating scale when talking to psychologists or doctors about their mental health. This is currently how depression and anxiety are diagnosed. However, a new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that allowing patients to describe their experience using their own words - is potentially viewed as more precise and preferred by the patients. The Lund researchers have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that could help doctors analyze their patients' answers.

Main Content

The study, published in PLOS ONE, shows that clinicians and patients differ somewhat, as clinics often prefer rating scales when diagnosing a patient (e.g., Little interest in doing things: not at all, sometimes, often, daily) whereas patients prefer free language (e.g., Describe your mental health).

The researchers surveyed a group of 150 patients with self-diagnosed depression or anxiety, posing the same questions to a control group of 150 other participants.

The responses indicate that using free language is especially important as it is seen as the natural way for people to communicate their feelings. This enables the patient to develop what is the most essential and to be understood. In particular, patients responded that language gives a more detailed description of how they feel, which is not possible using rating scales. According to the patients, the only advantage of rating scales is that they are easier and faster to answer, but they need more of the potential of more individualized care.

AI is more accurate in measuring language emotions than rating scales. In recent years, great progress has been made with natural language processing so that depression and anxiety can now be assessed with high validity based on open-ended questions that are then analyzed with AI methods.

"Previously, we were limited to rating scales where patients themselves had to convert their feelings into numbers. Today, this is not necessary as AI can do this assessment", explains Sverker Sikström, the psychology researcher who led the study.

Sikström has developed an AI product that enables patients to freely describe their mental health in texts interpreted by an AI engine. The results are shown in decision support material that psychologists and doctors can use. This product is unique as it asks direct open-ended questions to patients and, for example, does not rely on large-scale social media, where much of previous work has been done.

"We have received a lot of interest in this from health care providers, given that we now have the technology to support patients individually, yet efficiently," concludes Sverker Sikström.

Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Lund University and published on 2023/02/16, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.