Answer Addiction

Tag: kids with depression

  • Can Artificial Intelligence Accurately Diagnose Childhood Depression?

    Can Artificial Intelligence Accurately Diagnose Childhood Depression?

    A new artificial intelligence algorithm could present an easier way to identify children who may be depressed or anxious.

    Although one in five children suffer from depression or anxiety, the conditions can be difficult to diagnose in kids, which is why researchers are excited about a new artificial intelligence algorithm that successfully detected depression and anxiety from children’s speech.

    “We need quick, objective tests to catch kids when they are suffering,” lead study author Ellen McGinnis, a clinical psychologist at the Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families, said in a news release. “The majority of kids under eight are undiagnosed.”

    The research, published in the Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, used a 90-minute interview to analyze children’s speech patterns. They found that certain patterns, including low-pitched voices, repeatable speech inflections and content, and a higher-pitched response to an unexpected noise, could be used to accurately identify depression and anxiety.

    “The algorithm was able to identify children with a diagnosis of an internalizing disorder with 80% accuracy, and in most cases that compared really well to the accuracy of the parent checklist,” said study author Ryan McGinnis.

    McGinnis said that the research could present a faster and easier way to identify children who may be depressed or anxious, when compared with the current means of screening for depression in kids.

    “This would be more feasible to deploy,” he said.

    This is especially important since early intervention can help treat children and avoid future complications, including substance use disorder.

    “Thanks to greater neuroplasticity, interventions can be very effective in this population if disorders are identified early in development,” study authors wrote. “However, the current healthcare referral process usually involves parents reporting problem behaviors to their pediatrician and, if functionally impairing, the child is then referred to a child psychologist or psychiatrist for a diagnostic assessment.”

    This slow process results in many children being undiagnosed and not accessing the help they need.

    “Even if referred, current diagnostic assessments have been shown to capture only the most severely impaired preschoolers, but miss a large number of children who may go on to develop additional clinical impairments,” study authors added.

    Using artificial intelligence, coupled with information gathered from a sensor worn for a brief time, could be the future of diagnosing depression and anxiety in children, the study authors said.

    “These results point toward the future use of this approach for screening children for internalizing disorders so that interventions can be deployed when they have the highest chance for long-term success,” they wrote.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Are Kids With Depression Who Play Football At Higher Risk For Concussions?

    Are Kids With Depression Who Play Football At Higher Risk For Concussions?

    Researchers investigated whether kids with depression who play the contact sport are at a higher risk of suffering a concussion.

    Kids who suffer concussions while playing football may be at a greater risk of depression than others, Time reported.

    Published in The Journal of Pediatrics, the research squares with previous studies concluding that depression is an “all-too-common symptom of concussions,” as young athletes and retired NFL players alike struggle with mental health issues following brain injuries sustained on the football field. 

    Time, however, turned the situation on its head by asking if kids diagnosed with depression who play football are somehow more susceptible to suffering concussions than others their age.

    Surprisingly, new research on the matter says yes, as children who have been previously diagnosed with depression have a “five-fold increased risk” of suffering concussions.

    The new study collected data on 863 youth football players (aged 5 to 14) in the Seattle area across two separate seasons. Interestingly, researchers found that 5.1% of those football players suffered concussions — a trend well above the 4.4% range tracked in previous studies. Also, only 16 of the 863 players had been diagnosed with depression (0.02%). 

    Regardless, researchers felt that their odds of suffering a concussion was “statistically significant” and would color many parents’ decisions to allow their kids to participate in the sport.

    Dr. Sara Chrisman, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of adolescent medicine, argued that children with a history of depression are far more inclined to notice concussion symptoms (fatigue and nausea) than other kids. In other words, children who have already been diagnosed with depression are more likely to understand their symptoms, which might underscore the higher rate of reported concussions. 

    “Often people with mental health issues are very in tune with uncomfortableness in their bodies,” said Chrisman. “They’re more likely to be aware of changes. What’s not as distressing to someone else, might be distressing to them.”

    Additionally, Chrisman noted that prior research has linked depression and risky behavior — especially in young men. “In general, depression makes people want to crawl into a hole,” Chrisman said. “But depression is expressed differently in different people.” 

    Adolescents with a history of depression might play football more aggressively than others, Chrisman suggested, which puts them at a much higher risk for suffering a concussion. Conversely, children who act aggressively are more likely to visit a psychologist, increasing the odds of a depression diagnosis. 

    Still, while all signs point to a clear connection between concussions and depression, further research needs to be conducted before any definitive conclusions can be made on the subject. “To our knowledge, depression history has not been previously reported as a risk factor for concussions in a prospective manner,” the researchers wrote in their study. 

    But it’s not all doom and gloom for children wanting to participate in football. “In general, we found that kids weren’t going back to play football until they’ve recovered from their concussions,” Chrisman observed, noting that many schools, parents and doctors have been effectively working together to ensure their kids’ well-being. “That hasn’t been true in some prior studies. Some systems in place are working.”

    View the original article at thefix.com