51–60 of 164 posts
the obvious use case is to use facial expression detection to track how much attention people are paying to advertisements
Feeling sad, angry, depressed are essential parts of who we really are. We are not something sits in containers waiting to be amused at every second. Salut, brave new world.
Clinical depression is different from feeling sad. Being able to detect cognitive decline would probably be a great boon in elder care.
I don't want to come off as a pedant on this, but the prevailing definitions of clinical depression show quite clearly that it's a difference of degree, and not of kind. Clinical depression can indeed be "feeling sad":
> Criterion A.1: Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad, empty, hopeless) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.)
> The essential feature of a major depressive episode is a period of at least 2 weeks during which there is either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities (Criterion A)
> The mood in a major depressive episode is often described by the person as depressed, sad, hopeless, discouraged, or "down in the dumps" (Criterion Al). In some cases, sadness may be denied at first but may subsequently be elicited by interview (e.g., by pointing out that the individual looks as if he or she is about to cry). In some individuals who complain of feeling "blah," having no feelings, or feeling anxious, the presence of a depressed mood can be inferred from the person's facial expression and demeanor.
Both of these are straight from the DSM-5 (pp. 160-163) on Major Depressive Disorder: this is what's used to diagnose you, and not any blood test or neurotransmitter assay. "Depressed mood" is not described in any further detail, by the way. (Which, to me anyway, was always surprising in itself. You'd think there'd be more precision.)
Again, I hope this illuminating instead of pedantic. The notion that "clinical depression is not 'the blues'" is common enough these days, and it's well-intended, but people can get a somewhat mistaken impression from it. I think maybe it's safer to say that "clinical depression is indeed the blues, but also some other stuff on a list of 8, for an extended period of time".
EZ prediction of the day.
Combine depression, cognitive decline, anger, etc. values against a database of gun owners (picked up through registration, social media posts, ATF background checks, etc.). Send police to house when some crossover point is hit. It's for the children.
It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself -- anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a v…
It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself -- anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a v…
Since 1921, the Soviet authorities began to gradually use psychiatry to combat dissidents and human rights defenders. They abused their powers, falsifying diagnoses of unwanted people and sending them to hospitals for an indefinite period. This practice has become known as "punitive psychiatry", becoming one of the most famous and brutal examples of repression in the USSR. Over the years, Joseph Brodsky and Yegor Letov became its victims, and the practice stopped only under the decline of the USSR, when up to two million people passed through it. https://tjournal.ru/stories/153921-karatelnoe-lechenie-inako... That is just Google translated above
As a counterpoint to everything here, the Apple Watch just saved a friends life by telling them they were in AFib. Yes, it could be bad. Or it could be medically beneficial to people who are anxious and depressed and simply don’t have anyone to help them recognize it because they’re alone. Particularly during the pandemic, that would have been useful.
I can imagine the advertising value of watching for depression and cognitive decline. In the latter case, you could probably sell a dozen extended warranties for the same item. EZ prediction of the day. Combine depression, cognitive decline, anger, etc. values against a database of gun owners (picked up through registration, social media posts, ATF background checks, etc.). Send police to house when some crossover po…
Probably less work and marginally more fruitful.