Researchers use machine learning to modify the current PTSD diagnostic criteria - Mental Daily

A group of researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health and the VA Boston Healthcare System utilized machine learning to streamline the diagnosis tool for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to their new study, released in the journal Assessment, some of the questions imposed in the Structural Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (SCID-5) could be eliminated, leading to more relevancy of the veteran population. "Our study is only a first step--but an important one, because it shows that machine learning methods can be used to help inform efforts to make care more efficient, without sacrificing or degrading the quality of care provided," said co-author Jaimie Graudus, in a news release. The new research included data from the SCID-5 assessments related to more than 1,200 military soldiers, half of which were male and the rest female, who served during the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. The use of random forests, a form of machine-learning system, was also incorporated into the study.