SBIR Phase I: A mental health screening tool for youth using AI and game-based technology

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是改善儿科精神健康结果。据估计，20%的儿童患有可诊断的心理健康问题，其中一半将在14岁之前出现体征和症状。自杀是10岁以上儿童的第二大死亡原因；受影响的儿童如果没有接受干预或适当的服务，长大后会出现不良后果。拟议的项目开发了一种现代精神健康筛查器，通过跟踪类似于身高、体重、听力、视力和其他健康迹象的精神健康生命体征，为临床医生提供装备，并对家庭进行教育。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将推进一种新的精神健康筛查工具。在一个游戏化的网络平台上，4-18岁的儿童将参与一个动态问题集，旨在识别被称为心理健康问题指标的风险因素。该筛选器将人工智能用于声音和面部生物标记物、情绪分析和机器学习的新颖组合，将提供首个此类心理健康基线，供医生和家庭更好地了解儿童独特的心理健康。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is improve pediatric mental health outcomes. An estimated twenty percent of children suffer with a diagnosable mental health condition and half of those will show signs and symptoms before the age of 14. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among children aged 10+; affected children that do not receive intervention or appropriate services grow into adults with adverse outcomes. The proposed project develops a modern mental health screener to equip clinicians and educate families by tracking mental health vital signs similar to height, weight, hearing, vision and other signs of health. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will advance a new mental health screening tool. In a gamified, web-based platform, children aged 4-18 will engage in a dynamic question set designed to identify risk factors known as indicators of mental health concerns. Using a novel combination of artificial intelligence for voice and facial biomarkers, sentiment analysis and machine learning, the screener will provide a first-of-its-kind mental health baseline used by doctors and families to better understand the child’s unique mental health.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.