A.I. Could Accurately Predict Those at Risk of Suicide in the Future

Suicide results in approximately 44,965 American deaths each year and is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Deaths from cardiovascular disease and other ailments greatly outnumber those caused by suicide, but suicide rates have either remained steady or even increased in certain parts of the U.S., while heart condition casualties have been decreasing. For science journalist Lydia Denworth, this is a clear sign that current efforts to prevent suicide aren't working. She believes doctors simply aren't able to identify potential risk factors and act on them for all of their patients. Denworth tells Cheddar's Morning Bell that artificial intelligence developed by social scientists could predict who is most at risk so doctors can act more effectively instead of spending time analyzing medical records.