Feasibility study for a novel mental health (psychosis) digital screening solution to improve the care and safety associated with mental illness.

This application is focused on the development of novel ways of understanding who might be at risk of having psychotic disorders. Psychosis is a highly challenging mental health condition and will typically result in the individual suffering from hallucinations and delusions. Psychotic episodes can be incredibly dangerous and lead to life changing trauma and fatalities. The condition is a huge burden on the individual, their family, loved ones and the healthcare system. The only way of spotting the warning signs of psychosis today is via direct consultation with a healthcare professional. Consequently, there are many in our society with undiagnosed early-stage psychosis, which poses significant risks to both themselves and those around them.

The applicants, presenting this application, are leading researchers in the use of digital technologies for the detection of psychosis. In simple terms, this team is developing a set of intuitive tasks that prompt one to speak into a mobile phone and record one's speech patterns. Their initial research has shown that it is then, in principle, possible for software to analyse these spoken responses and determine whether an individual has low, medium or high risk of psychosis. The ultimate goal is to develop a simple and low cost application that can be prescribed to patients to quickly evaluate their risk of psychosis. This would enable high risk individuals to be identified for relevant medical intervention.

This team of researchers has started a company to develop this software. The vital next step in the development is to conduct a feasibility study to determine if their software prototype is able to discriminate between healthy and higher risk persons from a group of volunteer users. The enclosed application is focused on a programme of R&D to test and refine the diagnostic performance of the software.

If the team is able to successfully demonstrate that the software works in principle, they will be in a far better position to gain support from clinicians and investors. They will be able to secure the support they need to conduct the formal clinical studies needed to demonstrate the benefits of the solution and its value to healthcare providers.