Queensland scientists have developed a way to diagnose a severe form of depression by monitoring facial expressions as a patient watches movies.
QIMR Berghofer researchers have been able to analyse the facial expressions and brain activity of people as they watch highly emotional movies to determine if the patient has melancholia.
Lead researcher Dr Philip Mosley said melancholia was an intense form of depression with many physical symptoms.
Dr Mosley said people affected could not move their bodies or think quickly and experienced deep, long-lasting sadness that restricted their mood, energy and ability to enjoy life.
He said they were less likely to respond to psychological treatments and often needed very high doses of medication or brain stimulation.
“Despite these challenges, complete recovery from melancholia is possible with the correct treatment.”
Dr Mosley said the recent findings offered new hope for people who had struggled to get effective treatment for their depression and would educate the community that not all depression was the same.
“The research will allow GPs and other clinicians to diagnose people with melancholic depression more quickly and accurately, having them well again and feeling connected to their loved ones sooner,” Dr Mosley said.
He said during the study, the team used AI to analyse the facial expressions of 70 clinical trial participants with depression as they watched a funny movie.
“Participants then watched an emotional short film as their brain activity was measured in an MRI scanner.
“The findings showed clear differences between people with melancholia, and people with non-melancholic depression.”
Dr Mosley said standard ‘first-line’ treatments for depression may not always be as effective for those deeply affected by melancholia.
“If we can identify this type of depression more quickly and accurately, it will benefit not only patients, but their families and community, who may be devastated by the effects of treatment-resistant depression upon a loved one.”
