Surveillance of Suicide Ideation in Adolescents (VISIA)

Introduction:

The Surveillance of Suicide Ideation in Adolescents (VISIA) project is a collaborative effort involving a diverse research team encompassing experts in mental disorders and seasoned researchers in data science, specializing in intelligent services and applications across various domains. The project aims to address the shortcomings identified in existing research. The initial phase of this endeavor seeks to validate an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm capable of distinguishing individuals with suicidal ideation from a control group by analyzing multimodal variables. These variables include voice analysis, facial emotions, natural language, and proteomics. The cases will be labeled following established protocols.

Hypothesis:

The primary research question driving this project is: Can early and non-intrusive identification of suicidal ideation and suicide risk in young adults be achieved using multimodal data analysis through digital instruments equipped with artificial intelligence?

Objectives:

The overarching objective of this proposal is to design and implement an automated system for detecting emotional distress and suicide risk in adolescents aged between 11 and 16 using AI. This detection relies on molecular profiles derived from salivary proteomics, video and audio recordings in diverse contexts, and the linguistic content generated by the study participants. The integration of molecular profiles with data from video and audio recordings promises enhanced detection capabilities, providing a competitive edge in the development of future diagnostic tools.

Specific Objectives:

To realize the goals outlined above and tackle the scientific and technological challenges, the following specific objectives are established:

Development of a gold standard for detecting suicide risk and suicidal ideation in adolescents.

Identification of biomarkers (e.g., voice, facial expressions, salivary molecular fingerprint) relevant to characterizing adolescents with regard to suicide risk.

Identification of pertinent multimodal features for characterizing adolescents in relation to suicide risk.

Labeling of samples and AI model training.

Methodology:

Design and Study Subjects:

The study adopts a non-interventionist, analytical, observational, and prospective approach. It encompasses three distinct groups for comparison:

Ideation: Comprising individuals with current suicidal ideation. Clinical Population: Consisting of psychological or psychiatric patients of the same age and gender, devoid of suicidal ideation.

General Population: Encompassing adolescents with no known psychological or psychiatric issues, matched in age and gender, and free of suicidal ideation.

All three groups will undergo assessments using psychometric instruments, serving as a gold standard for AI system training and validation.

In summary, the VISIA project endeavors to leverage artificial intelligence and multimodal data analysis to detect suicidal ideation and suicide risk in adolescents, offering the potential for early and non-intrusive identification. The study's comprehensive methodology, involving diverse subject groups and rigorous data collection, is poised to contribute significantly to the field of mental health research and diagnostic tool development.

Inclusion criteria

Ideation Group

• Participants must be between 11 and 16 years old.
• Patients who do not meet any of the exclusion criteria and whose parents (both), guardians, or legal representatives accept their voluntary participation in the study. In case of divorce, authorization from both parents will be required.
• Patients receive care in child and adolescent psychiatry or psychology services and currently have suicidal ideation.
• Patients may have a previous follow-up, as long as they have suicidal ideation at the present moment, or they may be new consultations and may be receiving pharmacological treatment (which will be documented in the study).

Clinical Population Group

• Participants must be between 11 and 16 years old.
• Patients who do not meet any of the exclusion criteria and whose parents (both), guardians, or legal representatives accept their voluntary participation in the study. In case of divorce, authorization from both parents will be required.
• Patients receive care in child and adolescent psychiatry or psychology services for any reason other than those listed as exclusion criteria.
• Patients have not had suicidal ideation in the past year. Patients may have a previous follow-up or may be new consultations, and they may be receiving pharmacological treatment (which will be documented in the study).

General Population Group

• Participants must be between 11 and 16 years old.
• Students who do not meet any of the exclusion criteria and whose parents (both), guardians, or legal representatives accept their voluntary participation in the study. In case of divorce, authorization from both parents will be required.
• Students must declare that they have not received psychiatric or psychological follow-up before, nor have they had suicidal ideation in the past year.

Exclusion criteria

(applicable to all groups):

• Neurodevelopmental disorders or speech disorders affecting verbal communication capacity, specifically including:
• Autism Spectrum Disorder grades 2 and 3.
• Communication disorders (selective mutism, language disorder, phonological disorder, childhood-onset fluency disorder, social communication disorder).
• Individuals with hearing impairment and verbal language impairment.
• Individuals with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities.
• Individuals with psychotic disorders.