• Pioneering research by a Charles Sturt University expert in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in collaboration with mental health experts holds great significance for Australia
• By harnessing AI’s potential, they aim to create tailored early interventions, strengthen support systems, and improve mental health outcomes across the country
• Their collaborative approach focuses on specific regional challenges and contributes to the advancement of mental health care to ensure a brighter future for individuals and communities affected by mental health disorders in Australia

A leading Charles Sturt University artificial intelligence (AI) academic is working with mental health experts and others to transform mental health support in Australia.

In a ground-breaking collaboration Senior Lecturer in the Charles Sturt School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering Dr Anwaar Ulhaq (pictured left) and the Manna Institute strive to improve mental health outcomes nationwide.

Dr Ulhaq is also Deputy Leader, Machine Vision and Digital Health Research Group, in the Charles Sturt Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, and Associate Editor, Springer Nature Computer Science (SNCS).

He said the collaborative research addresses pressing mental health challenges in the country and focuses on critical areas such as suicide prevention, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and broader psychiatric disorders.

“Mental health disorders affect a significant portion of the Australian population. Statistics indicate that approximately 20 per cent of Australians experience psychiatric disorders every year, highlighting the urgent need for effective interventions and support systems,” Dr Ulhaq said.

“One notable advancement is the development of Suicide Ideation Detection Visual Interactive Systems (SIDVis), an interactive visualisation dashboard designed to detect suicidal ideation from social media data.

“This cutting-edge tool provides mental health professionals, crisis helpline operators, and researchers with valuable insights into the identification and prevention of suicide.

“With AI-driven analysis, SIDVis enhances suicide prevention strategies, catering to the unique regional context and challenges faced by Australians.”

Dr Ulhaq and his team have developed a ChatGPT-style chatbot named Mindful GPT with a virtual support system for personalised conversations and support , and his collaboration with Dr Marg Rogers has paved the way for enhanced support systems for various populations.

Dr Ulhaq said Dr Rogers and her Children’s Family Resilience Programs (CFRP) team have been at the forefront of designing and developing online resources, and their joint efforts have led to the development of streamlined systems for accessing online resources related to children’s mental health.

“These systems employ machine learning techniques to recommend personalized resources, easing the burden on time-poor parents, educators, and support workers,” Dr Ulhaq said. “By ensuring easy access to high-quality resources, these collaborations facilitate more frequent usage and benefit vulnerable families and their educators.

“This team is now working on an AI recommender system for recommending personalised mental health support resources to children of defence veteran families.”

The collaborative research also sheds light on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition that affects approximately 1 in 70 Australians.

“By leveraging AI and machine learning techniques the research team and I have gained profound insights into the complexities of ASD, facilitating early detection, accurate diagnosis, and personalised treatment approaches,” Dr Ulhaq said.

“This research has the potential to revolutionise support systems for individuals and families affected by ASD, providing tailored interventions that address the specific needs of the Australian ASD community.”

Dr Ulhaq said in the past two decades functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has emerged as a ground-breaking technology, revolutionising clinical research of the human brain.

“With two emerging researchers, Sadi Redwan and Palash Uddin at Deakin University, I have worked on the early detection of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),” Dr Ulhaq said.

“This is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder impacting 7.2 per cent of Australian children, which is of immense importance in the local context.

“By investigating abnormalities in resting brain functions, the research aims to enhance understanding and support for individuals with ADHD,” he said.

“These findings have far-reaching implications for early detection, intervention, and improved outcomes for affected children and their families in Australia.”

Dr Ulhaq said another example of AI research centres on first-episode psychosis (FEP) which refers to the first occurrence of a psychotic episode in an individual and is a significant concern in the Australian mental health landscape.

“Addressing FEP, collaborative research efforts have analysed electroencephalography (EEG) data to gain insights into the complexities of mental health conditions,” he said.

“By employing AI and advanced analytical techniques, our team aims to understand the underlying mechanisms better and develop targeted interventions for psychiatric disorders prevalent in the Australian population.”

Dr Ulhaq is also General Chair at DICTA 2023, the International Conference on Digital Image Computing: Techniques and Applications (DICTA), which runs from Tuesday 28 November to Friday 1 December 2023 at Port Macquarie, NSW.