AI Smartphone App Helps Mentally Ill, Families, Caregivers

September 20, 2022

Supporting Mental Health Through Technology

Through a partnership with Capital Area Human Services District, or CAHSD, one of Louisiana鈥檚 largest behavioral health providers, 海角社区 is contributing AI technology to help catch early warning signs of serious mental illness and improve treatment.

海角社区 Professor of Psychology Alex Cohen has developed a smartphone app that can track a person鈥檚 speech and facial expressions to alert them, their families, and treatment teams of worsening mental states to help prevent costly鈥攁nd scary鈥攅mergencies and suicide. CAHSD serves about 10,000 people in seven parishes: Ascension, East and West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, Iberville, and Pointe Coupee. Through a pilot project, 海角社区 is now providing patients in CAHSD鈥檚 first-episode psychosis program with phones that come pre-loaded with Cohen鈥檚 app, called QITraq.

鈥淔or people who just experienced their first psychotic break, things tend to be particularly disorienting and confusing,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a critical time in treatment that affects people鈥檚 trajectory鈥攈ow functional or disabled they鈥檙e going to be over time.鈥

The app can be a lifeline for patients who might have difficulty communicating their thoughts and feelings when they meet with healthcare providers. It can also help clinicians be more confident in their treatment plans, as they鈥檒l have additional data to assess high-risk clients from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

AI-generated image of person leaning through a smartphone screen

An 海角社区 AI smartphone app for mental health can listen when others can't. The image above was generated by AI based on keywords: mental health, psychosis, help, phone.

鈥 海角社区

鈥淲e鈥檙e a mobile service provider, so we work in the community and in the clients鈥 homes, but we cannot be with them all the time. 海角社区鈥檚 cutting-edge technology can help us more accurately determine if medications and treatment approaches are working, so patients don鈥檛 end up in the hospital or, worse, in jail.鈥

Paul Tuminello, director of outreach services at Capital Area Human Services District