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Early signs of depression can be detected from voice notes sent on WhatsApp. In a recent study, scientists have accurately identified these signs using an AI model.

Your WhatsApp voice notes could reveal if you're depressed. While this might sound strange, scientists have developed an AI model that can determine a person's mental health based solely on voice notes. This was revealed in a research paper recently published in PLOS Mental Health. This AI model can accurately identify symptoms of depression based on audio recordings.

Higher Accuracy in Women

The research, led by Brazilian researcher Victor HO Otani, found that the AI ​​could identify depression in women with approximately 92 percent accuracy, while the accuracy dropped to 75 percent in men. The AI ​​only requires a single recording of a person engaging in a normal conversation, such as describing their daily routine. Depression causes changes in a person's speech speed, pitch, and energy, which this AI model can easily detect.

What are the benefits?

This technology could have significant benefits worldwide. It could be particularly revolutionary for people struggling with depression in low-income countries and regions where access to mental health professionals is difficult or expensive. Depression rates have increased globally in recent years, but mental health resources are limited. As a result, many people do not receive timely treatment. The researchers involved in this study say that this technology cannot replace doctors, but it can serve as an inexpensive and powerful screening tool. Its method of operation is also non-intrusive; people simply need to record a voice note.