Revealed in a study conducted in the Speech Health Lab of AIIMS. file photo
Anup Kumar Singh, New Delhi. Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi have made an important discovery that early signs of depression can be easily identified in a person's voice.
Studies conducted at the Advanced Speech Health Lab of AIIMS have shown that changes in speaking style, tone, pitch, fluency, emotional resonance and vocal energy can indicate depression.
This research is a big step in the field of mental health, because it will make early screening possible even in areas with less resources.
Analyzed samples of 423 people
In the research, speech samples of 423 people were analyzed, whose complete clinical and demographic records were available. Signs of depression were found in 31.7 percent of these people.
The accuracy of the automated speech analysis model was 60-75 percent, reaching 78 percent on longer speech samples. Most participants were 18–30 years old (average age 24 years), and the majority were young.
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Along with this, a large study of NIMHANS is mentioned, in which 8,542 college students (30 universities, 15 cities, 9 states) were surveyed.
In this, moderate to severe depression was found in 33.6 percent, anxiety in 23.2 percent, lifetime suicidal thoughts in 18.8 percent, suicidal thoughts in the last year in 12.4 percent and attempted suicide in 6.7 percent. The problem is exacerbated by the lack of low-barrier mental health access among youth.
Globally, 264 million people are affected by depression, while in India, 5.3 percent of the population suffers from it as per NHMS 2015. Suicide is a major complication of depression.
Why is this technique useful?
Depression is often missed in traditional screening, especially in rural or low-resource areas. Analysis of vice is an objective, non-invasive and inexpensive method.
Only through phone recording can early signs be detected, which will make timely intervention, referral and treatment possible. This lab, formed with CSR support, is studying paralinguistic markers (tone, pitch, emotional color) along with linguistic features (fluency, articulation).
Pro. According to Dr. Nand Kumar (Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS), depression causes speech monotone, low fluency and reduction in vocal effort. This method will not replace clinical diagnosis, but will become an early screening aid.
It is claimed that this research can be the beginning of mental health revolution in India, where voice will not just be a medium of speaking but will become an indicator of health. With timely identification, lakhs of youth can get a new life.
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The creative graphics used in this news were created with the help of NoteBookLM artificial intelligence program.
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