Speech Analysis to test for PTSD in soldiers

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event. As a result, those who have been exposed to more traumatic events, like soldiers, police officers, or fire fighters, are more likely to develop PTSD. 

Current diagnosis of PTSD relies mainly on an interview where patients answer questions about symptoms and the doctors will then decide if the patient has PTSD or not. These symptoms can include repeating, involuntary memories; avoiding people and places that might remind the patient of the traumatic memory; negative thoughts or feelings; and being irritable, having angry outbursts, or behaving recklessly. Due to the subjective nature of this diagnosis, results are often unreliable. Oftentimes, patients will downplay their own symptoms because they don’t want to admit weakness or be placed off of active duty. In addition, other disorders such as insomnia or anxiety share symptoms with PTSD, making diagnosis of PTSD even more complicated.

A new study, done by researchers from New York University School of Medicine, created an algorithm and analyzes patient speech patterns and identify auditory markers of PTSD. They worked with SRI International, the firm behind Apple’s voice activated assistant: Siri, to sort through thousands of speech variables to find these markers. They were able to find 18 factors that could be used to diagnose PTSD. These speech indicators include tension in the larynx and the timing of a flick of the tongue, both indicators of flat, monotonic speech. Based on these 18 factors, they could correctly identify patients with PTSD with 89% accuracy.

With more research, this method of diagnosis could benefit thousands of people living with PTSD. In addition to being a more reliable way to diagnose PTSD, it also doesn’t need fancy, expensive lab work to be done. This study is by far the most accessible method of diagnosis currently being researched and its results look promising.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/22/magazine/veterans-ptsd-speech-analysis.html?searchResultPosition=2