Forbes: Doctors use AI, supercomputer to predict and prevent mental illness
A collaboration between the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the University of Colorado and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is examining how artificial intelligence and the world's second most powerful supercomputer can help detect and diagnose mental illness.
John Pestian, PhD, a professor in UC’s Department of Pediatrics and director of the Computational Medicine Center at Cincinnati Children’s, told Forbes the technology could treat and alleviate up to 50% of mental illness that goes into adulthood.
“So catching it young, catching it early, and giving care is a very important part,” he said.
Pestian and his collaborators developed a model that assesses mental health risk factors and take into account personal, environmental, biological, emotional, social and thought process information. The supercomputer is needed to train the AI models in a helpful amount of time, more than 17,000 times faster than an average laptop could.
The AI will in part analyze responses that children give to questions like "do you have secrets" or "are you angry," using additional data such as facal expressions and pauses between sentences to help identify if the patients are at a high, medium or low risk of depression or other mental health challenges. However, Pestian noted that there will continue to be a human element where physicians, mental health experts and school counselors help determine an individual child's risk.
The project's goal is to create "near real-time" modeling to help identify at-risk kids, especially those at risk for depression and suicidal thoughts.
Featured photo at top of Summit supercomputer courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Related Stories
Patients with developmental disabilities may benefit with an integrated care model
June 9, 2026
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University have found that adults with developmental disabilities who have integrated care were less likely to go to the emergency room or be hospitalized than others who were not. Their work was published in Disability and Health Journal.
UC physician-researcher's work yields landmark five-year data for Crohn's disease drug
June 8, 2026
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine’s Anita Afzali, MD, leads a landmark study revealing five-year efficacy and safety data for a Crohn’s disease drug called guselkumab.
Ohio recognizes colleges that support student veterans
June 8, 2026
Cleveland.com highlights an Ohio program that recognizes UC and other universities that provide support for student veterans.