New research at U of M measures brain waves to detect depression, suicide warnings
MINNEAPOLIS -- Nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide in 2021. It's also the second-leading cause of death for ages 20 to 34.
Now, a study at the University of Minnesota is looking to lower those numbers.
"They need help, but are scared to ask for it," said Dr. Alik Widge, a clinical psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Minnesota.
Widge treats people with severe depression, anxiety and PTSD.
"FREUD is a project that we developed in response to the Department of Defense," Widge said. "Their question was how can we help soldiers and veterans report severe distress, suicidality, severe mental health symptoms."
FREUD -- Fast Reliable Electronic Unconscious Detection -- is Dr. Widge's study, which looks at the brain's electrical signals to detect what someone is thinking, but not saying.
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He says people with depression, or even suicidal tendencies, may be too afraid to talk about it.
"They're keeping it below the surface. They're keeping it out of conscious awareness because if they can not thin about it enough, then maybe they don't have to talk about it. Maybe they don't have to do something about it," said Widge.
The project has been ongoing for just a month or two, but it could involve sitting in front of a laptop screen and wearing a device the size of a sunhat which meant to measure brain waves. Participants would respond to stimuli: Pictures or short phrases.
Dr. Widge said previous brain wave studies have proven to be 90% accurate. He's hoping to complete the FREUD study within three-and-a-half to four years.
"That little bit of edge multiplied across the hundreds of patients, the thousands of patients that a clinician sees in a year - that could be huge. That could be life-saving," Widge said.
Widge says FREUD could also be used to measure the effectiveness of antidepressants or other treatments over time.
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If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, also has resources online.