AI in mental health

S D'Alfonso

Abstract

With the advent of digital approaches to mental health, modern artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning in particular, is being used in the development of prediction, detection and treatment solutions for mental health care. In terms of treatment, AI is being incorporated into digital interventions, particularly web and smartphone apps, to enhance user experience and optimise personalised mental health care. In terms of prediction and detection, modern streams of abundant data mean that data-driven AI methods can be employed to develop prediction/detection models for mental health conditions. In particular, an individual’s ‘digital exhaust’, the data gathered from their numerous personal digital device and social media interactions, can be mined for behavioural or mental health insights. Language, long considered a window into the human mind, can now be quantitatively harnessed as data with powerful computer-based natural language processing to also provide a method of inferring mental health. Furthermore, natural language processing can also be used to develop conversational agents used for therapeutic intervention.

How its relevant to scouting

Scouts increasingly use digital platforms, social media, apps, and virtual communities to connect youth globally. The article’s lens on using AI, digital “digital exhaust,” and natural language processing to detect or treat mental health offers Scouts opportunities to leverage new tools responsibly. Scouts can pilot or integrate ethically designed mental health apps or monitoring systems—especially in large-scale youth networks. But understanding risks (data privacy, bias, overreach) is essential for responsibly adopting digital mental health tools.