
NIH’s mental health chief on why he’s leaving for Google - subnaught
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/10/08/nihs-mental-health-chief-on-why-hes-leaving-for-google-technology-may-hold-key-to-better-diagnosis/
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iamleppert
I wonder if they are going to plan to mine people's search patterns? I don't
know about you, but I've never lied to Google about my intentions. When I was
feeling very depressed, I'd often search for sad things, or even "ways to kill
myself". I imagine a lot of other people do so as well, and aren't even aware
their search history is monitored by Google -- and if they are, they think it
can be cleared by deleting their Internet history in their browser.

There is again a fine line between privacy and what will help the individual
and society at large. The most pressing questions will not be what new
analytical methods we can create to better identify mental illness from
Google's data. I've seen the quality of the mental health system from a close
friend's perspective (in the US at least) and all I can say is you don't want
to get mixed up with it; it often has the same outcome and social stigma as a
criminal record.

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cafebeen
It's really a challenge to use search in this way. The searcher could be
depressed, or be a worried friend of some who's depressed, or be a writer
looking for story ideas, or be a family member of the last person who used the
browser, etc.

~~~
Bjartr
Something like the individualized advertising model Google has for each person
could probably be used in tandem to segment that more reliably.

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mcguire
Is anyone but me conflicted about the idea of Google being involved in
"identifying who is at highest risk and developing interventions that preempt
psychosis", given that Google's primary product is detailed personal
information about everyone?

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mfoy_
Two opportunities to plug PSYCHO-PASS in one day? We're on a roll, HN!

But seriously, if Google co-opted people's smart phone data to do covert
psychological evaluations on a constant basis we'd literally be one step
removed from the dystopic future PSYCHO-PASS depicted. Albeit a big step
(sending out armed teams to apprehend at-risk subjects before they have a
chance to hurt themselves or others).

~~~
Lawtonfogle
>Albeit a big step (sending out armed teams to apprehend at-risk subjects
before they have a chance to hurt themselves or others).

Look at the story behind the police officer who was committed for trying to
expose police quotas. Is that not the same as an armed team coming to commit
you... just for an even less justifiable reason?

~~~
pc2g4d
Do you have a link for this?

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DanBC
There are some interesting machine approaches to early diagnosis and
prediction of psychosis.

Who will develop psychosis? Automated speech analysis may have the answer:
[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150824110809.ht...](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150824110809.htm)

[http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/speech...](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/speech-
analysis-schizophrenia-algorithm/402265/)

[http://www.nature.com/articles/npjschz201530](http://www.nature.com/articles/npjschz201530)

I'm interested to see what Google can do. Early diagnosis and rapid start of
an early intervention team dramatically improves outcomes.

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49para
Maybe just replace the water supply Fluoride with a Paxil/Zoloft combination.

