TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Software Can Diagnose Depression in Blogs and Tweets

Israeli scientists have developed an online application that scans social media for signs of depression. The tool could possibly be used to intervene before suicides occur.

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Software Can Diagnose Depression in Blogs and Tweets - Software Can Gauge Other Emotions

In addition to scanning for depression, the software can be used to gauge other emotions on the Internet, such as happiness, anger and anxiety.

"We could ask: What is love like? What is depression like? And look for how people describe the personal experience. We are harvesting a web of metaphors," Neuman told Israel21c.

The researchers imagine that the software could replace today's expensive and time-consuming public opinion polls. It might also be used for national security and fighting crime.

"Most who suffer from depression won't commit suicide," said Neuman. "But this is a powerful way of screening for depression. It has psychosocial applications as well for Homeland Security�let's say monitoring depression levels of the population in a political circumstance to understand the population's sentiment."

Among teens and young adults, suicide is the third leading cause of death. Because these individuals also extensively use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, the software could be especially valuable for diagnosing teen depression.