There is growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential to improve the efficiency and personalisation of mental health services.
A new essay by PhD researcher Emma Rocheteau discusses the role of AI in psychiatry, particularly how it can improve diagnosis, monitoring of symptoms, and deliver personalised treatment. This essay was awarded the Eliot Slater Prize in Psychiatry.
As Emma states, so far the progress has been slow—however, advancements in deep learning have shown incredible promise.
The concept of Deep learning—based on biological neural networks known to underpin human intelligence—works by trial and error. Algorithms become increasingly accurate allowing them to sift through large data sets in an accurate and timely manner.
Deep learning is able to exploit patterns in patient data, and it has the potential to automate time-consuming tasks—like transcribing patient notes—which frees up time for medical specialists.
Emma also highlights the significant ethical concerns and technological limitations that we need to account for. These include a lack of intrinsic morality, responsibility and interpretability.
You can read Emma’s paper On the role of artificial intelligence in psychiatry published in the British Journal of Psychiatry here: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2022.132
Emma Rocheteau
PhD Researcher
Emma is a final-year medical student at the University of Cambridge. She is currently writing up her PhD thesis on the topic of AI for healthcare, which she completed in the Department of Computer Science and Technology. Her research focuses on making predictions on patient outcomes such as mortality and length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit. With her medical and technical background combined, she hopes to create a real-world impact by personalizing healthcare and improving the efficiency of the NHS.
Useful Links
My personal website: https://emmarocheteau.com/
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-rocheteau-125384132/
Google scholar profile: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=NZUdzyIAAAAJ&hl=en