Our society continues to progress further as it chips away at the stigma surrounding mental health conditions. Although there is still a struggle to find affordable and effective medication and therapy today, we have started putting more value on mental health. With the advancements in technology, tools like AI can help people struggling with mental health illnesses. This is what the start-up Korean mental tech company DoctorPresso did.
Solutions for mental health
DoctorPresso aims to quickly diagnose, monitor, and improve mental health issues with AI. With an AI algorithm developed in collaboration with Seoul National University Hospital, the company advocates healthier mental health with different solutions ranging from voice diaries to analysis of organizations.
Mind Station
One of DoctorPresso’s products, Mind Station, allows users to log diary entries anytime anywhere. In turn, these journal entries are then analyzed by AI to help analyze the mental state of the user. Additionally, users can communicate with an AI Psychiatrist and receive mental health advice. This way, the app would help users understand their emotions better.
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A study has been published in recognition of DoctorPresso’s approach. According to the study, GPT 3.5 and GPT 4.0, AI-based large language models (LLMs), can effectively detect the risk of depression by analyzing the user’s diary text. Specifically, for AI developed using LLM models, text-based depression detection accuracy of 90.2% and specificity of 95.5% were achieved.
REDI
DoctorPresso also launched REDI which aims to detect depression through a voice recording app. REDI analyzes four key voice characteristics: average pitch, pitch variability, spectral centroid, and spectral roll-off. The app also offers a habit-tracking calendar that monitors lifestyle factors like sleep, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. “While someone might not realize they’re depressed, their voice often carries subtle clues,” explains Dr. Shin, the CMO of DoctorPresso.
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A published study revealed that a person’s voice changes in depressed groups and participants with minor and major depression. For those wary about their privacy, DoctorPresso also promises that user information is not uploaded to the cloud, ensuring the confidentiality of a user’s data.
Managing mental states
According to 2019 data from the World Health Organization, 970 million people were living with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depression being the most common. While we have moved forward in acknowledging the importance of mental health, we still have a long way to go in providing affordable and effective measures to help people. With DoctorPresso, the company offers a promising venture toward improving mental health. “The Redi app is scheduled to be launched in March next year. Currently, this text-based mental health app is only available for download in the South Korean app market”, says CEO, Whanbo Jung. If successfully launched and proven effective, the app can offer accessibility and efficiency in diagnosing and managing mental health conditions.
Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been done by Sydney Sims.
Sources: PR Newswire / PR Newswire / Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) / World Health Organization
