Neural correlates of Impaired Theory of Mind

Attending the Society of Biological Psychiatry conference this May 2017 was inspiring and eye opening. Overall, my work was well received and people from all areas of psychiatry seemed interested in my project, which focused on the impairment of theory of mind in patients with early schizophrenia. The talks during this conference covered various topics such as new treatment methods, methods for analyzing neuroimaging data, and the implications of technology. Although new treatment methods exist and the field has advanced considerably, many difficulties remain particularly in the percentage of people that are able to properly get diagnosed due to lack of proper access to care and ineffective treatments.

The future of psychiatry will depend on continuous research for new treatments as well as the use of technology to help capture those that are falling through the cracks. I had the opportunity to observe a symposium on leveraging digital phenotyping for detecting mental illnesses. This involves utilizing mobile devices to understand user behavior and mental health by tracking location, messaging frequency, and more. This data in real time can indicate any anomalies in a user’s data, which can potentially identify mental outbreaks before they occur. In addition, location tracking can be used to identify signs of depression. Although the use of technology in psychiatry is relatively new, it has the potential to provide a means of support through real time.

As a researcher in the field of psychiatry in mental health with a background in data analysis, I hope to utilize methods of analytics, big data, social media, and technology to provide a complimentary method of treatment and assistance for detecting signs of mental illnesses in the future. Overall, the field has significant potential and my hope is that I can contribute to it significantly one day as well.

Conference Travel Fund Blog Post vy Shezal Padani
Bachelor in Behavioral Neuroscience, ’17