Technical Innovations Change Behavioral Health and Suicide Prevention Paradigm

by David Whitmer, FACHE, Vice President, Product Operations, DSS, Inc. and Barbara Van Dahlen, PhD, Former Executive Director of the PREVENTS Presidential Executive Order Task Force and Strategic Advisor to DSS, Inc.

patient sitting on table talking to doctor

Machine Learning and AI Provide New Functionality and Scalability

In the U.S. in the last 20 years, there’s been a trend toward normalizing mental healthcare and removing its stigma and a corresponding rise in the need for developing effective behavioral health solutions. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in four Americans suffer from a mental or substance abuse disorder. In 2019, more than 45,000 American adults died from suicide—including 6,261 U.S. Veterans.

Better news is ahead, thanks to new approaches in addressing behavioral health challenges and detecting risk factors associated with suicide. These changes are emerging largely because of innovative technologies, including the use of real-time machine learning (ML) and emotion artificial intelligence (Emotion AI).