A mental health assessment method based on emotion level derived from voice

Abstract Background: In many developed countries, mental health disorders have become a problem, and the economic loss due to treatment costs and interference with work is immeasurable. Therefore, a simple technique must be developed to determine individuals’ depressive state and stress levels. Voice analysis using smartphones is not only noninvasive, it does not require a dedicated device; thus, it can be performed conveniently and remotely. Consequently, we developed a method to assess individuals’ mental health levels using emotional components contained in the human voice. Methods: We proposed two indices of mental health: a short-term index (vitality) and mental activity calculated from long-term trends in vitality. We used the voices of healthy individuals (men: n = 10, Mage = 42.7 ± 6.0 years; women: n = 4, Mage = 35.0 ± 14.4 years) and patients with major depression (men: n = 19, Mage = 43.7 ± 11.0 years; women: n = 11, Mage = 53.9 ± 8.2 years). For patients, simultaneously with voice collection, specialists assessed current depression severity using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Results: A significant negative correlation existed between the vitality extracted from voice and HAM-D score (r = -0.33, p < .05). We could discriminate the voice data of healthy individuals and patients with depression (judged as moderate or severe by the specialists) with high accuracy using vitality (p = .0085, the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.87). However, there was no significant difference between the vitality of the healthy individuals and the patients judged to be the “no depression group with almost no depressive symptoms,” even if they were outpatients with depression (p > .1, AUC = 0.64). Conclusions: We developed a method to estimate stress through emotion instead of analyzing stress directly from voice data. By daily monitoring of vitality using smartphones, we can encourage hospital visits for people before they become depressed or during the early stages of depression. This may lead to reduced economic loss due to treatment costs and interference with work.

Download Full-text

Mental Health Assessment Method Based on Emotion Level Derived from Voice

10.20944/preprints202008.0251.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shuji Shinohara ◽

Mitsuteru Nakamura ◽

Yasuhiro Omiya ◽

Masakazu Higuchi ◽

Naoki Hagiwara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Voice Data

In many developed countries, mental health disorders have become problematic, and the economic loss due to treatment costs and interference with work is immeasurable. Therefore, we developed a method to assess individuals’ mental health using emotional components contained in their voice. We propose two indices of mental health: vitality, a short-term index, and mental activity, a long-term index capturing the trends in vitality. To evaluate our method, we used the voices of healthy individuals (n = 14) and patients with major depression (n = 30). The patients were also assessed by specialists using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). A significant negative correlation existed between the vitality extracted from the voices and HAM-D scores (r = -0.33, p &lt; .05). We could discriminate the voice data of healthy individuals and patients having depression with a high accuracy using the vitality (p = .0085, area under the curve = 0.76). Further, we developed a method to estimate stress through emotion instead of analyzing stress directly from voice data. By daily monitoring of vitality using smartphones, we can encourage hospital visits for people before they become depressed or during the early stages of depression, to prevent adverse consequences of depression.

Download Full-text

Depressive Mood Assessment Method Based on Emotion Level Derived from Voice: Comparison of Voice Features of Individuals with Major Depressive Disorders and Healthy Controls

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18105435 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 5435

Author(s):

Shuji Shinohara ◽

Mitsuteru Nakamura ◽

Yasuhiro Omiya ◽

Masakazu Higuchi ◽

Naoki Hagiwara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Disorders ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Major Depressive Disorders

Background: In many developed countries, mood disorders have become problematic, and the economic loss due to treatment costs and interference with work is immeasurable. Therefore, a simple technique to determine individuals’ depressive state and stress level is desired. Methods: We developed a method to assess specific the psychological issues of individuals with major depressive disorders using emotional components contained in their voice. We propose two indices: vitality, a short-term index, and mental activity, a long-term index capturing trends in vitality. To evaluate our method, we used the voices of healthy individuals (n = 14) and patients with major depression (n = 30). The patients were also assessed by specialists using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Results: A significant negative correlation existed between the vitality extracted from the voices and HAM-D scores (r = −0.33, p < 0.05). Furthermore, we could discriminate the voice data of healthy individuals and patients with depression with a high accuracy using the vitality indicator (p = 0.0085, area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.76).

Download Full-text

Evaluation of emotional arousal level and depression severity using voice-derived sound pressure change acceleration

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-92982-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shuji Shinohara ◽

Hiroyuki Toda ◽

Mitsuteru Nakamura ◽

Yasuhiro Omiya ◽

Masakazu Higuchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sound Pressure ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Emotional Arousal ◽

Pressure Change ◽

Arousal Level ◽

Depression Severity ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

National Defense Medical College ◽

Significant Difference

AbstractIn this research, we propose a new index of emotional arousal level using sound pressure change acceleration, called the emotional arousal level voice index (EALVI), and investigate the relationship between this index and depression severity. First, EALVI values were calculated from various speech recordings in the interactive emotional dyadic motion capture database, and the correlation with the emotional arousal level of each voice was examined. The resulting correlation coefficient was 0.52 (n = 10,039, p < 2.2 × 10−16). We collected a total of 178 datasets comprising 10 speech phrases and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) score of outpatients with major depression at the Ginza Taimei Clinic (GTC) and the National Defense Medical College (NDMC) Hospital. The correlation coefficients between the EALVI and HAM-D scores were − 0.33 (n = 88, p = 1.8 × 10−3) and − 0.43 (n = 90, p = 2.2 × 10−5) at the GTC and NDMC, respectively. Next, the dataset was divided into “no depression” (HAM-D < 8) and “depression” groups (HAM-D ≥ 8) according to the HAM-D score. The number of patients in the “no depression” and “depression” groups were 10 and 78 in the GTC data, and 65 and 25 in the NDMC data, respectively. There was a significant difference in the mean EALVI values between the two groups in both the GTC and NDMC data (p = 8.9 × 10−3, Cliff’s delta = 0.51 and p = 1.6 × 10−3; Cliff’s delta = 0.43, respectively). The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve when discriminating both groups by EALVI was 0.76 in GTC data and 0.72 in NDMC data. Indirectly, the data suggest that there is some relationship between emotional arousal level and depression severity.

Download Full-text

Does Assessment Method Matter in Detecting Mental Health Distress among Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Israeli Women with Breast Cancer?

Health & Social Work ◽

10.1093/hsw/hlaa004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 101-109

Author(s):

Ora Nakash ◽

Leeat Granek ◽

Michal Cohen ◽

Gil Bar-Sela ◽

David Geffen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Mental Health ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Health Distress ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Structured Diagnostic Interview ◽

Mental Health Distress

Abstract Authors examined differences in assessment method (structured diagnostic interview versus self-report questionnaire) between ethnic groups in the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders among women with breast cancer. A convenience sample of 88 Mizrahi (Jews of Middle Eastern/North African descent, n = 42) and Ashkenazi (Jews of European/American descent, n = 46) women with breast cancer from oncology units in three health centers across Israel participated in the study. Participants were within eight months of diagnosis. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and a structured diagnostic interview, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Approximately one-third (31.8 percent, n = 28) of participants were diagnosed with at least one mood or anxiety disorder based on the MINI. Significantly more Mizrahi participants (42.9 percent) were diagnosed with at least one mood or anxiety disorder, compared with their Ashkenazi counterparts (21.7 percent). Mean score on HADS was below the optimal cutoff score (≥13) among all participants, with no significant difference in mean score for emotional distress based on HADS between the two ethnic groups. The findings highlight the role of measurement variance in assessing mental health distress among women with breast cancer in general and among ethnic and racial minorities in particular.

Download Full-text

Study on the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) performance in healthy individuals, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A preliminary study

Dementia & Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1590/s1980-57642009dn30200006 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 101-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Cristiane Garcia da Costa Armentano ◽

Cláudia Sellitto Porto ◽

Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki ◽

Ricardo Nitrini

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽

Inhibitory Response ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Executive deficits as well as deficits in episodic memory characterize the initial phases of Alzheimer Disease (AD) and are clinically correlated to neuropsychiatric symptoms and functional loss. Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment present more problems as to inhibitory response control, switching and cognitive flexibility. Objective: To compare performance on the BADS with performance on other executive functional tests among patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) to performance of control individuals and to examine discriminative capacity of BADS among these groups. Methods: The BADS was performed by 35 healthy controls, 13 patients with aMCI, and 16 mild probable AD patients. Besides performing the BADS, subjects underwent neuropsychological evaluation which comprised: the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS), verbal fluency by phonemic categories (F.A.S) and Concentrated Attention Test (CA). Results: There were no differences among groups by educational level, but performance differed for age (p<0.01). No difference between healthy controls and aMCI patients was found on total scores or subitems of the BADS. A significant difference was observed between aMCI and AD patients (p<0.05) and between controls and AD patients (p<0.05) on total and standard scores. Conclusions: Performance on the BADS differed between healthy individuals and mild AD patients. The BADS proved to be a sensitive method for discriminating AD from aMCI.

Download Full-text

Depression and anxiety among hyperthyroid female patients and impact of treatment

Middle East Current Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s43045-021-00107-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sheikh Shoib ◽

Javid Ahmad ◽

Manzoor Ahmed Wani ◽

Irfan Ullah ◽

Shah Faisal Ahmad Tarfarosh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Health Assessment ◽

Panic Attacks ◽

Mental Health Assessment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale ◽

Study Participants

Abstract Background The aim of the present study was to compare the presence of psychiatric disorders in people with hyperthyroidism and euthyroid patients attending the Endocrinology Outpatient Department at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Kashmir, India. Seventy-five patients with hyperthyroidism and an equal number of euthyroid patients participated in the study. Participants were selected using stratified random sampling. All patients were female. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic features. Hormonal screening was performed by immunoassay and haemagglutination method. For the mental health assessment, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAM-D], and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale [HAM-A] were used. Results There was a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders among the hyperthyroidism group (60% versus 34.7%). In particular, there was a higher prevalence of major depressive disorder, suicidality, generalised anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and agoraphobia. In some cases, the prevalence of a psychiatric disorder diminished after endocrinological treatment. Conclusions Screening patients with hyperthyroid disorders for psychiatric symptoms and disorders, and providing timely care when necessary, can go a long way in improving the quality of life of this population. It is imperative to establish routine screening and timely care of mental health symptoms and disorders in patients with hyperthyroidism.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of mental health and anxiety level among hepatitis C patients during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

Egyptian Liver Journal ◽

10.1186/s43066-021-00120-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sadia Rafique ◽

Muhammad Saleem Khan ◽

Rabia Unar ◽

Muhammad Wajid ◽

Ahmad Waheed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Mental Stress ◽

Anxiety Level ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

High Anxiety ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Public Sector Employees ◽

Score Index

Abstract Background This study was conducted to check anxiety level and mental stress in the 200 confirmed hepatitis C patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) score index was used to measure the anxiety level of HCV-positive patients. BAI score index of different demographic factors such as gender, age, occupation, and education of all the sampled population was calculated. Results The highest BAI score was recorded in people in the age group of 25–45 years (54.5%). Respondents from public sector employees, own businesses, and postgraduates were highly anxious. A significant difference in BAI score was also recorded between male and female respondents as 33.77% of females were at a severe level of anxiety compared to 17.07% of males. Furthermore, quarantined hepatitis C patients had a significantly higher BAI score (39.5) as compared to non-quarantined patients (27.12), and respondents with HCV infection also had a high BAI score of 37.25 compared to healthy individuals (4.1). Most of the respondents were willing to adopt protective measures against COVID-19. Conclusion This study concluded that people with infectious diseases like hepatitis C had high anxiety levels and mental stress in the COVID-19 pandemic and needed psychological aids for better mental health to handle pandemic conditions.

Download Full-text

Psychometric properties of a screening tool for autism in the community—The Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire (IASQ)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0249970 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. e0249970

Author(s):

Satabdi Chakraborty ◽

Triptish Bhatia ◽

Vikas Sharma ◽

Nitin Antony ◽

Dhritishree Das ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychometric Properties ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Screening Questionnaire ◽

Autism Screening ◽

Intensive Training ◽

Significant Difference

Introduction Currently available screening questionnaires for Autism spectrum disorders were tested in developed countries, but many require additional training and many are unsuitable for older individuals, thus reducing their utility in lower/ middle- income countries. We aimed to derive a simplified questionnaire that could be used to screen persons in India. Methods We have previously validated Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA), that is now mandated for disability assessment by the Government of India. This detailed tool requires intensive training and it is time consuming. It was used to derive a new screening questionnaire: 1) items most frequently scored as positive by participants with autism in original ISAA validation study were modified for binary scoring following expert review. 2) In a new sample, clinically diagnosed individuals with/without autism were administered the screening tool and ISAA following written informed consent. Its psychometric properties were determined. Results A 10-item scale named Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire (IASQ) was prepared in Hindi and English. Thereafter 145 parents/caregivers of participants (autism, n = 90, other psychiatric disorders, n = 55) (ages 3–18), were administered IASQ and ISAA (parents/caregivers plus observation) by separate interviewers, blind to each other and to diagnosis. At a cutoff of 1, sensitivity was 99%, specificity 62%, Positive Predictive Value 81%, and Negative Predictive Value 95%. Test-retest reliability was r = 0.767 (CI = 0.62–0.86) and interrater reliability- Krippendorff”s-alpha was 0.872. The area under Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) was 95%. There was a significant difference on IASQ-scores between participants with and without a clinical diagnosis of Autism (t = 14.57, p<0.0001). Discussion The IASQ is a simple, easy to use screening tool with satisfactory reliability and validity, that can be administered to caregivers in 15 minutes and provides information about DSM 5 criteria for autism. It may be applicable outside India, following additional adaptation, for community-based studies.

Download Full-text

Mental health of college students and associated factors in Hubei of China

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0254183 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. e0254183

Author(s):

Xiaosheng Lei ◽

Chaojie Liu ◽

Heng Jiang

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

College Students ◽

Health Status ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Significant Difference

Background Although many studies have analyzed mental health problems in college students in China, the associations of mental health with individual and family circumstances, academic performance, and social support were rarely discussed. Objectives The study aimed to determine the mental health status and its associated factors among college students in China. Methods An online survey was conducted on 300 students selected through a cluster sampling strategy in a university in Hubei, China, tapping into sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, their mental health status measured by the modified Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), and social support measured by the Social Support Rating Scale. Multivariate linear regression models were established to identify predictors of the SCL-90 scores. Results Mental health disorders were found in 8% of the respondents, with obsessive compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity and depression as the top three reported problems. Compared with the national population norms of university students in 2014, our study participants had higher scores in SCL-90. There were statistically significant difference in the Global Severity index (GSI) and all nine subscales scores (p<0.05). Poorer self-rated health, higher study pressure, and lower social support were significant predictors of higher SCL-90 scores (p<0.05) after adjustment for variations in other variables. Conclusions College students in Hubei, China may experience a range of different mental health problems, which are associated with their individual, study, and social circumstances.

Download Full-text

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on attitude, behavior, and mental health of patients with rheumatic diseases

Egyptian Rheumatology and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1186/s43166-020-00045-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marwa A. H. Hammad ◽

Mervat Eissa ◽

Ghada A. Dawa

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Rheumatic Diseases ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Phone Calls ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Attitude Behavior ◽

The Impact ◽

Rheumatic Patients ◽

At Home

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global health, social, and economic crisis. Healthcare professionals, patients, healthy individuals, and the whole community are under inevitable psychological pressure which may cause different psychological problems as fear, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The aim was to assess the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the attitude, behavior, and mental health of rheumatic patients and to compare them with healthy individuals. This is a case-control study, 360 participants were included and divided into a patient group composed of 180 patients with rheumatic diseases, and a control group composed of 180 healthy people. Data were collected via a self-administered structured questionnaire designed on Google forms. It was sent to participants via social networks and emails to different rheumatic patients and healthy individuals. Mental health was measured by the 5-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5). Results The mean age of cases and control were (35.05 ± 8.79 vs 34.56 ± 9.06) years. In comparing attitudes and behavior toward COVID 19, there was a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between both groups regarding washing hands, going outdoors, wearing masks and gloves outdoors, and staying in their rooms. Patients depended mainly on telehealth more than usual where about 50% used either phone calls, internet or sent their relatives to their physicians; moreover, 20% did not contact their physicians at all the past few months. There was a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between both groups regarding feeling angry/irritated, inferior and insomniac. The BSRS-5 total score and being defined as a psychiatric case (according to the BSRS-5 scale) also differed significantly between patients and controls. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients showed more adherence to their medications and stayed mostly at home and they have higher BSRS scores. Conclusion Patients with rheumatic diseases show comparable degrees of anxiety and depression to healthy individuals, but higher distress symptoms and panic in the form of anger, irritability, and insomnia. They have a significantly higher sense of inferiority and a higher total BSRS compared to controls. SLE patients show more adherence to their medications and stay mostly at home as a reflection of feeling more vulnerable. Moreover, they have higher degrees of psychological affection in the form of higher BSRS scores. Abandoning drug purchasing without medical prescription is necessary in Egypt to protect our patients from unnecessary drug shortages adding to their fear and anxiety. Mental health should be addressed in the same manner we deal with the infectious disease itself, being of no less importance. Mental health professionals, social workers, and support groups need to provide psychological support to vulnerable populations, including patients with rheumatic diseases. Rheumatologists should be aware of the need for psychiatric consultation for their patients whenever necessary.

Download Full-text