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AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

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Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#11
post #8

I'd say very little good can come from this. What would be an example of an "appropriate" use of this technology? Basically where it could excel is giving probabilistic prediction of "mental disorders" across a high volume of users. What is a good thing you would do with that? Advertising to suggest someone to get help, maybe?

I can see companies using this to screen applications to filter out potentially problematic people, sometimes with more social acceptability (think airline pilots), sometimes with less (most other jobs). If you consider that "good" is another matter.

[deleted]

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#12
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"chemical imbalances", is that a thing?

I think so. A quick Google search returns 15.3M results. Googling for an exact match returns 217K results. All results seem to be related to mental health.

It’s a common phrase, but people who dislike psychiatry are correct to point out that “normal” behavior is also caused by “chemical imbalances”. That’s just basic metaphysical materialism!

I don’t agree with them that “there’s no such thing” as mental illness, but I do agree that we medicalize trivial variations too quickly, and what counts as ordered or disordered depends on social context, and we can’t just assume the social context is ordered.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#13
post #8

I'd say very little good can come from this. What would be an example of an "appropriate" use of this technology? Basically where it could excel is giving probabilistic prediction of "mental disorders" across a high volume of users. What is a good thing you would do with that? Advertising to suggest someone to get help, maybe?

I can see companies using this to screen applications to filter out potentially problematic people, sometimes with more social acceptability (think airline pilots), sometimes with less (most other jobs). If you consider that "good" is another matter.

Precisely. The cyber stalking of applicants is about to get even worse. Anyone having a public presence on social media is hurting themselves.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#14
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can see companies using this to screen applications to filter out potentially problematic people, sometimes with more social acceptability (think airline pilots), sometimes with less (most other jobs). If you consider that "good" is another matter.

Precisely. The cyber stalking of applicants is about to get even worse. Anyone having a public presence on social media is hurting themselves.

And anyone without one is then nobody.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#15

I'd say very little good can come from this. What would be an example of an "appropriate" use of this technology? Basically where it could excel is giving probabilistic prediction of "mental disorders" across a high volume of users. What is a good thing you would do with that? Advertising to suggest someone to get help, maybe?

> excel

We must apply this to spreadsheets ASAP.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#16

I'd say very little good can come from this. What would be an example of an "appropriate" use of this technology? Basically where it could excel is giving probabilistic prediction of "mental disorders" across a high volume of users. What is a good thing you would do with that? Advertising to suggest someone to get help, maybe?

An "appropriate" use is of course targeted advertising. You can create products with a brand image that appeals to specific personalities. Then you buy advertising space when the person is in an emotional state where they are most receptive to your ad.

An appropriate use could be the treatment of those mental disorders on an 'industrial scale'. You can use the technology to identify as well as apply cost-effective tools that allow people with mental issues to heal and grow.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#17

I'd say very little good can come from this. What would be an example of an "appropriate" use of this technology? Basically where it could excel is giving probabilistic prediction of "mental disorders" across a high volume of users. What is a good thing you would do with that? Advertising to suggest someone to get help, maybe?

No post body was provided.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#18
post #3

Witty. But those claims must feel a bit insulting to people who actually study mental disorders, chemical imbalances etc.

"chemical imbalances", is that a thing?

Yes, that's why there's medication to treat depression, anxiety etc. Obviously it doesn't work for every condition and every person and there's still a lot of research being done but this is one of the main ways to tackle these problems.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#19
post #3

Witty. But those claims must feel a bit insulting to people who actually study mental disorders, chemical imbalances etc.

I would say it is the same kind of bullshit. "Mental disorders" are just artificial conventions that classify emotional distress, non-compliant behavior and stuff. There are no proven "chemical" imbalances with for example depression. And psychotropic medication does not balance the "chemicals". I also doubt that being sad or mad about something on the internet will give you accurate predictions about the mental orde…

> "Mental disorders" are just artificial conventions that classify emotional distress, non-compliant behavior and stuff.

Illness is also an artificial convention that classifies physical distress, abnormal phenomena, "and stuff." That doesn't make it less useful as a label. There are people out there with all kinds of mental disorders.

> I also doubt that ... mental order or disorder of the user.

Me too. The article basically sounds like fund-raising/trying to get support from a different financial source.

Re: AI Model Detects Mental Disorders Based on Web Posts

#20

I'd say very little good can come from this. What would be an example of an "appropriate" use of this technology? Basically where it could excel is giving probabilistic prediction of "mental disorders" across a high volume of users. What is a good thing you would do with that? Advertising to suggest someone to get help, maybe?

Youre right that getting rates of mental disorders at the population level is a useful application. Checkout for example the hedonometer: https://hedonometer.org/timeseries/en_all/?from=2021-12-05&t.... People have also done population-level research showing that bad weather affect various seniment-based metrics of mental health: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...
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