Speaker Series Event Report: Dr.  Mihriye Mete on "The use of artificial intelligence in mental health treatment and research"

On April 2nd, 2024, the Global Mental Health Initiative hosted Dr. Mihriye Mete from the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine for a lecture, titled “The use of artificial intelligence in mental health treatment and research.” She addressed the urgent global and national mental health crisis and explored how AI and ML are revolutionizing mental healthcare by expanding access, refining diagnosis, and enhancing personalized treatment. These technologies can address gaps in traditional mental health services, where resource constraints often leave individuals without timely support. Through applications like chatbots, remote monitoring, and decision-support tools, AI offers scalable solutions that augment the capabilities of human clinicians, extending essential care to those in need.  Through algorithms that leverage data from Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and other sources, AI/ML can predict risks and customize interventions, significantly improving care. 

A major area of focus in Dr. Mete’s lecture was how AI/ML can leverage data from Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and other sources to build predictive models. These models are used to identify individuals at higher risk of certain mental health challenges, facilitate early interventions, and tailor treatments based on individual patient data. Dr. Mete emphasized that high-quality, diverse data is essential for AI/ML to accurately predict outcomes and personalize care while ensuring ethical and unbiased applications. Her main message centered on advancing mental healthcare responsibly, stressing the importance of building empathetic, patient-centered AI tools and leveraging institutional resources like those at MedStar Health Research Institute (MHRI) to drive innovation. Through these efforts, AI/ML has the potential to make mental healthcare more equitable, accessible, and effective.