What You Should Know:
– A new study by Sonde Health reveals vocal biomarkers can be a reliable indicator of mental health. The research, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, highlights the potential of Sonde’s mental fitness vocal biomarker (MFVB) platform to complement traditional mental health assessments and improve self-monitoring.
– Sonde’s MFVB technology has already been integrated into consumer health monitoring apps, life insurance health apps, consumer audio wearables, and automobiles.
The Study: Tracking Mental Health Through Speech
The four-week study involved 104 outpatients with depression symptoms from the Cognitive Behavior Institute in Pennsylvania. Participants used Sonde’s Mental Fitness app to record 30-second voice entries over a month. The app’s MFVB tool analyzed these recordings for eight key features related to mental health, including pitch and speech rate. Scores ranged from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better mental well-being.
Key Findings:
- Participants with consistently low MFVB scores (in the “Pay Attention” range) were twice as likely to report elevated mental health symptoms compared to those with consistently high scores (“Excellent”).
- Those who used the app more frequently (5-6 times per week) showed an even stronger correlation between MFVB scores and mental health symptoms as measured by the M3 Checklist, a standard assessment tool.
- Nearly 40% of participants reported changing their behavior or lifestyle based on insights from the app, and 72% wanted to continue using it for future monitoring.
Benefits and Future Applications:
The study suggests that voice-based tools like Sonde’s MFVB can provide valuable insights into mental health. These benefits include:
- Objective Data: Vocal biomarkers offer a more objective measure of mental well-being compared to self-reported symptoms.
- Scalability: Voice-based monitoring can be easily integrated into apps and wearable devices, allowing for continuous self-assessment.
- Early Intervention: Regular monitoring can identify potential mental health issues early, allowing for proactive intervention.
The ability to track mental health between clinical visits could be a game-changer, according to Dr. Lindsey Venesky, a clinical psychologist involved in the study. Voice-based technology offers a seamless and unobtrusive way to monitor mental health status over time.
“The ability to collect mental health data from patients between clinic visits could transform how we monitor symptoms and optimize treatment plans,” said Lindsey Venesky, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist and Clinical Director at the Cognitive Behavior Institute (CBI), which collaborated on the study. “Voice-based health tracking technology can provide accurate insights into a client’s mental health status over time and can do so seamlessly and unobtrusively, with little added effort for clients.”
