I’ve always been deeply fascinated by psychology — the scientific exploration of the human mind and its influence on behaviour. This fascination also encompasses affective computing, a field that merges insights from computer science, psychology, and cognitive science.
The increasing burden of mental health issues, along with advancements in technology and a deeper understanding of the biopsychosocial model of health, has spurred interdisciplinary research to enhance our understanding of mental health disorders, which have profound effects on our communities globally.
The global mental health landscape
According to the World Health Organisation:
- Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders account for over 10 per cent of the global disease burden (approximately 280 million people have depression globally)
- In countries with low to middle-income levels, a staggering 85 per cent of individuals suffering from mental health conditions go untreated.
- The lost productivity resulting from depression and anxiety, two of the most common mental disorders, costs the global economy US$1 trillion each year.
The China Brain Project, a 15-year project targeting major scientific discovery and technological development for early diagnosis and intervention of brain diseases and brain-machine intelligence technology by 2030, estimates that if no effective treatments for brain diseases emerge in the coming decades, the global medical care system is likely to collapse by 2050.
Also Read: Strengthening mental healthcare in Asia through local data that enhances efficacy
This intersection where technology meets healthcare is where its disruptive nature transforms into a lifeline for humanity. Technological advancements, particularly in AI, neuroscience, and psychology, are not just reshaping industries; they’re pioneering the development of innovative diagnostic tools and treatment methods for brain diseases. These tools include obtaining data on emotions at scale through apps to mapping and coding out brain activity using AI devices.
My journey and explorations
As someone who has worked in high-growth tech startups for over a decade, my journey mirrors this larger narrative of technology’s capacity to both disrupt and heal. Growing a tech startup is all about relentless execution, and it came at the expense of my mental health.
Despite the constant challenges, this experience has led me on a lifelong path of personal growth and reinforced my commitment to contributing to solving some of humanity’s global mental health burden with technologically sustainable solutions, both personally and professionally.
Beyond my work in tech startups, I embarked on both an academic and practicum path by pursuing a Professional Diploma in Psychotherapy, Counseling and Positive Psychology with The School of Positive Psychology (TSPP), taking night classes every weeknight after work for two years.
Deep down, I want to explore how I can consciously evolve into the best version of myself as a human being and how people can engage with me on a new level of openness and emotional vulnerability with my personal growth work and mental health advocacy through technology.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I co-founded a startup called Ministry For Good, which seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues and how technology can be used to improve access to mental health care and help scale other social impact causes. Our first project was raising awareness of the symptoms of dementia and exploring how AR/VR technology can help with reminiscence therapy.
In the broader spectrum of my tech roles, I became a super user of digital mental health solutions, testing out current product offerings in the market on myself, which extended to generative AI solutions. Although generative AI models cannot experience emotion as humans do, these models can be programmed to recognise emotional cues from text, speech, or facial expressions and adjust their responses accordingly, mimicking how emotions affect human thought and behaviour.
This is often used in fields like affective computing, where AI is designed to detect and respond to human emotions, enabling an empathetic response from a chatbot to potential early detection of mental health issues.
Also Read: From chatbots to therapists: How AI break ground in bridging the mental health care divide
Rana El Kaliouby, CEO and Co-founder of Affectiva, an emotion AI startup, writes in her book Girl Decoded, “I was also struck by the vital role of emotion in enabling people to make sound decisions. At the time, I believed that the best decisions were based on cold, calculated logic that didn’t let feelings get in the way. In fact, as I learned, decades of neuroscience showed just the opposite to be true. Your “feelings” don’t get in the way. They improve your thought processes.”
AI in mental health: Enriching emotional intelligence
This understanding underscores the potential for AI to not just automate tasks but to enrich our emotional intelligence. In this light, digital mental health solutions emerge as conduits between the analytical capabilities of AI and the nuanced realm of human emotions, fostering an environment where technology supports and enhances mental well-being.
I envision a collaborative future where digital mental health solutions evolve to become more empathetic, advanced, and interactive, revolutionising mental health care. In the future, mental health professionals leverage the efficiency of AI in routine tasks such as diagnostics, monitoring, and research, thereby enhancing their productivity.
This allows them to dedicate more time to activities that truly set them apart from machines: their emotional intelligence, creativity, and deep interpersonal connections. Meanwhile, individuals can engage with AI-powered tools like chatbots or virtual assistants, which offer simulated scenarios to encourage positive thought patterns and behaviours.
However, the integration of AI into mental health care requires ethical, practical, and clinical considerations. It is crucial that governments intervene with well-thought-out mental health policies that ensure the ethical application of AI while fostering innovation, ensuring a balance that benefits all stakeholders in the mental health ecosystem.
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