Your heart rate accelerates, your breathing becomes irregular, your mind wanders. These are well-known symptoms of anxiety, but what if your voice was enough to reveal them? A team of researchers has developed (here the studio) an AI-based system that analyzes the way you speak to identify signs of anxiety: an innovation that could change the way mental disorders are diagnosed. Let's start with the simplest of questions:
Can anxiety be detected by the voice?
The idea of diagnosing anxiety through the voice may seem like a joke, but science has proven otherwise. The most recent studies have highlighted how the tone, rhythm and variations in the voice can be key indicators of a person's emotional state.
And who better than machine learning to cross-reference these factors to build revealing patterns? AI uses these signals to identify vocal patterns associated with anxiety, thus offering a rapid and non-invasive screening tool.
How Voice Anxiety Screening Works
The patient is asked to perform a test of verbal fluency, that is, to speak for about a minute on a specific topic. During this short interval, the algorithm records and analyzes the voice, extracting phonetic and rhythmic parameters. The machine learning model then compares the data with a database of voices of subjects with and without diagnosed anxiety. In a few seconds, the system is able to return an assessment of the patient's anxiety level.
Can AI really replace a specialist?
While the technology has demonstrated remarkable accuracy, experts stress that these tools should not replace clinical diagnosis, but rather support clinicians in identifying anxiety disorders early.
One of the most promising aspects of this approach, however, is the possibility of integrating the voice test into telemedicine applications, allowing anyone to obtain a preliminary assessment from the comfort of their own home.
Benefits and Limitations of Anxiety Screening with the voice
The advantages of this method are many. The speed of analysis and the non-invasiveness make it an accessible tool for anyone who wants to monitor their mental state. However, there are still some challenges to be addressed. Individual voice variability and the presence of external factors, such as temporary stress or fatigue, can influence the results. For this reason, the scientific community is working to refine the algorithms and reduce the margin of error.
The future of voice diagnosis
The use of artificial intelligence in mental health is just beginning. In addition to anxiety, researchers are exploring the voice's potential to identify other conditions, like depression and neurological disorders. If progress continues at this rate, we may be witnessing a sea change in the way psychological disorders are addressed.
Imagine a future where a simple voice recording tells us if we are experiencing excessive stress, and whether it is time to seek further advice from a specialist. Artificial intelligence is opening up new avenues for mental health diagnosis and monitoring, offering rapid and accessible solutions.
The “external” voice, once only a means of communication, could become a key to better understanding the voice we have inside.
To learn more: https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jel/article/5/2/024401/3333480/Automated-acoustic-voice-screening-techniques-for