Search Here

There's now a smartphone app that can detect mental illness in real time.

Dr. Alex Leow, a distinguished professor of psychiatry and bio-engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), has introduced a revolutionary smartphone app designed to detect mental illness in real time.

Named BiAffect, the app represents a pioneering effort in utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor mental health indicators, offering potential early intervention and treatment insights.

Leow, whose diverse career aspirations included pursuits in concert pianism and mathematics, reportedly found her calling in psychiatry and bio-engineering. Her passion for combining mathematics with medical practice led her to focus on researching the human brain, viewing it as a complex biological computer ideal for mathematical modeling.

"The human brain is like a biological computer. That's why I decided to become a psychiatrist," Leow shared, CBS News reported.

Specializing in bipolar disorder research, Leow recognized the need for innovative approaches to mental health monitoring, particularly in cultures where stigma and shame often shroud discussions of mental illness.

Inspired by the emergence of wearable technology like smartwatches, Leow came up with the idea for BiAffect while envisioning a "fitness tracker for the human brain."

BiAffect functions by replacing the smartphone keyboard with its own, capturing the timing of each keypress during activities such as typing emails or posting on social media.

This data enables real-time monitoring of cognitive patterns, including typing speed and posture, which can offer valuable insights into mental health states, especially for individuals experiencing depression.

Currently, over 2,000 users actively participate in crowdsourcing information through BiAffect, contributing to ongoing app refinement and data collection.

Leow envisions BiAffect evolving into an early alarm system, empowering healthcare providers with actionable information to facilitate timely interventions and personalized treatments, potentially even preventing crises such as suicidal ideation.

"They can use this objective real-time information to take better control, better ownership of their mental health and act on this information before the symptoms reach a point of no return," she explained.

Driven by a relentless commitment to improving patient outcomes, Leow remains dedicated to advancing the capabilities of BiAffect, recognizing its transformative potential in revolutionizing mental health care delivery.

"Every day when I wake up, I think of the possibility of what something like this can bring to our patients," Leow said.