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Instagram photos may indicate depression

Recent findings suggest that Instagram photos may indicate predictive markers of depression.

“This points toward a new method for early screening of depression and other emerging mental illnesses,” Chris Danforth, PhD, of the University of Vermont, said in a press release. “This algorithm can sometimes detect depression before a clinical diagnosis is made.”

To assess predictive value of Instagram photos for depression, researchers used Instagram data from 166 individuals to computationally extract statistical measures from 43,950 participant Instagram photos using color analysis, metadata components and algorithmic face detection.

The resulting models outperformed the average unassisted diagnostic success rate for depression, according to researchers.

Further, results remained when analysis was limited to posts made before participants were first diagnosed with depression.

Human ratings of photo attributes, such as happy or sad, did not predict depression as strongly and were unassociated with computationally-generated features.

“We have a lot of thinking to do about the morality of machines. So much is encoded in our digital footprint. Clever artificial intelligence will be able to find signals, especially for something like mental illness,” Danforth said in the release. “This study is not yet a diagnostic test, not by a long shot, but it is a proof of concept of a new way to help people.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.