At some time(s) all of us will lose control; feel anxiety, anger, exposure, vulnerability, threatened, stress, depression, uncertainty, be forgetful, or be of ‘two minds’ and so on. Our behaviors will most likely be modulated, and even strange in some way for some period. But all this is normal and a key component of our physiology of survival, and it is generally transient lasting minutes, hours, or at worst a day or two. When such conditions last for many day or weeks or become episodic, we label them mental illness. The treatment of mental illness sufferers throughout history has not been a happy story spanning; the possession by spirits and demons, to incarceration, and institutionalization to become objects of fun, entertainment, derision, neglect, and disrespect. In the developed world a deal of progress and enlightenment (in terms of base understanding and treatment) has now been established, but there are still marked differences between the older and younger generations, sub-cultures, religions, and belief systems. The medical profession has come a long way, and their understanding and science are still advancing, but expertise is in chronically short supply. And so there is a universal plight shared between physical and mental health with a gross shortage of skilled practitioners and physical facilities. In reality, this shortfall cannot be overcome by traditional health models - there are simply insufficient people available to be trained and qualified into all the health professions. Our only hope then; is to turn to new technologies with a progressive migration of patients from a ‘Do It all For Me’ (DIFM) to a ‘Do It For Yourself’ (DIY)_culture and expectation. This DIFM to DIY transition is getting well established for the physical health sector, but it is still in its infancy for mental patients. Both sectors suffer the irrational/uneducated/unthinking/virulent detractors, but the reality is - we have a very limited number of choices - and we can only move within the framework of the possible. But: it is worth noting that the mental health sector is far more of a ‘minefield’ than the physical precursors. And so we should advance and experiment with great care and be sure to involve patients as a member of the team as opposed to being mere subjects and pseudo ‘lab rats’. “tread softly, lest you step upon my dreams”

1. A STATE OF MIND
Prof Peter Cochrane OBE
S e n t i e n t S y s t e m s R e s e a r c h
petercochrane.com
Technology, Rapid Change and Human Wellbeing
K e y n o t e / O p e n i n g S c e n e S e t t e r
I n n o v a t e S u f f o l k : M e n t a l H e a l t h H a c k a t h o n
I W I C A t r i u m : 2 4 - 2 6 M a y 2 0 1 9

2. Scale: Reality Check
One in four of us suffer mental problems/year
The BIG ‘X’
I think we can safely
assume that we have all
felt like this at some time !
Mental Health: comes of age ?
It is now in the open and up for
discussion and debate
Depression
Anxiety The BIG 3
Stress
Bipolar
Schizophrenia

3. Tr a u m at i c H i s t o r y
Mental health mystery - affliction to blessing
Evil
Holy
Devil
Spirits
Threat
Ghosts
Crazed
Disease
Demons
Madness
Possessed
Infectious
Supernatural
Biological
Physiological
Causal Cures
Treatments
Openness
Sympathy
Awareness
Fear
Torture
Isolation
Execution
Punishment
Incarceration
Treatments
Cruelty
Derision
Intolerance
Entertainment
Experimentation

4. Tr a u m at i c H i s t o r y
Mental health mystery - affliction to blessing
Today - Intolerance Rules ?

5. The Snowflake Generation ?
... today’s young people!
They just can't handle adversity
They’re have been coddled - protected from reality
They don't know what it is like to deal with real world problems
They've really have got to toughen up !!!
W
ho
Know
s?
W
e
stillhave
a
realproblem
thatneedsaddressing

6. Mental Illness Causality (1) Correlation
does not infer
Causation
WW1 + WW2
High mortality
Industrialisation
Limited healthcare
Large scale pollution
Inadequate sanitation
Work and job changes
Poor/crowded housing
Mass migration to towns
Dubious food quality/supply
Large families/poor birth control
+++++
Industry 1.0
Industry 2.0
Industry 3.0

7. Social Media
and
Suicide
A very small number of
reported and recent
cyber bullying cases
appear to have ignited
a near out of control
media and political JDI
campaign…
…is this ignorance and
panic winning over the
facts and reality ?
Mental Illness Causality (2)

8. Social Media
and
Suicide
QED
(perhaps !)
Teen Suicides UK
2017 = 177
2015 = 186
2010 = 110
Mental Illness Causality (3)

9. Scale: Reality Check
One in four of us suffer mental problems/year
For the majority:
Stress
Anxiety
Depression
For the minority:
CPU
Sensors
Experiences
Can start at conception
- develops throughout
life - anon - we have a
lot to discover/learn
Complex - multi-variate:
complexity; lack of/out of
control; limited influence;
disempowerment; change;
education; work; life; love;
family; money; health…

10. Culpability ?
No risk society
Intense parenting
Social Media Devas
Artificial social ideals
Over protective culture
The eradication of failure
Dominance of ‘Do Gooders’
The rise of The Nanny State
Every child must get a prize ethos
Artificial pressure from teachers/parents
You can achieve anything if you want to (Myth)

11. Culpability ?
A faster, more connected, and chaotic world?

12. Reality Gap !
- Adults tend not want to address health or mental health
- Young people do want to discuss, debate, address & fix
- Young people want healthy relationships, but may not
have seen or experienced one !
Society highlights more bad behavioural examples than good ?
The media constantly focuses on the -ve and celebrates fools !
Young people are the victims here and not entirely the cause ?

13. Opportunity Space
Where we/technology might just help
Stress
Anxiety
Depression
A dynamic and fast
changing landscape that
is influenced by life, living,
society, work, education,
physical fitness/health
and a broad spectrum of
relationships…
>20% of the UK population are suffering
>Female than Male reported sufferers

14. Status Quo of Change/Progress
Our species and the ratchet of technology only goes one way
Technology begets more technology
Allows more people to live & survive
Provides revolutionary tools of change
Sees us do more & more with less & less
More food, clothing, housing, tech, industry
Our history is one of exponential capabilities
“Stopping, or trying to going back, would
see a human tragedy and a massive
loss of life”
Stress and disempowerment
in the making for many;
empowerment for most ?

15. It Was Ever Thus
Industry 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0….
During 1.0, 2.0, it was
common (the norm) to
inter people considered
m a d / c r a z y / m a l e v o l e n t
or afford them lesser
status- ie village idiot…
…we have come a long
way but there is such a
long way to go…
…it is beholden upon
all of us to see if we
c a n h e l p m a k e a
difference!

16. Reality and Perception
“Life has never been so good”
OR
“The world is going to hell in a hand basket”
“More people are alive, living longer, and living
good lives than ever before”
“There are far more +ve indicators than -ve
by a loooong way”
Media
Politicians
Social Nets
Employment
Rapid Change
Lack of Security
Societal Tensions
Magical Technology
++++
OUCH - why
am I hurting?

17. Why are things apparently getting worse ?
Technology - it is always Technology!
TV
Cable
Home PCs
Mobile Devices
eMail + TXT + IM
Computer Games
Social Media + Porno
Blue(ish) screen light
2/3/4/5G - WiF and Cancer
Shorter attention spans
Security/Cyber threat
Loss of privacy/data
Screen addition
Cyber bullying
Sexting

18. Why are things apparently getting worse ?
Technology - it is always Technology!
TV
Cable
Home PCs
Mobile Devices
eMail + TXT + IM
Computer Games
Social Media + Porno
Blue(ish) screen light
2/3/4/5G - WiF and Cancer
Shorter attention spans
Security/Cyber threat
Loss of privacy/data
Screen addition
Cyber bullying
Sexting W
idely presided over by non-users;
the
science
and
tech
ignorant; the
technophobes,
politically
and
socially active/motivated
Is
anything
getting
worse
or
is
the
efficiency of reporting getting better ?
W
e
need
facts
&
analysis
-
not
emotion &
knee jerk reactions!

19. What We Know For Sure
We are brilliant at the
invention of tech and the
creation of products, but
so poor at preparing
people and society…
…and the organisation of
the transition from one
paradigm, to another!
Education, training, preparation is all !
Just another exciting day at the
office…but don’t worry…THEY
are in control…THEY must have
a plan !
The dwell time of managers in a
specific job is now ~2.5y….
…and burn out is often before
their 55th birthday!

20. What We Know For Sure
Thermodynamics dictates that the human
brain is insufficient to
understand the human brain in any great detail
Insufficient
Computational
Power

21. What We Know For Sure
Without Quantum Computers
we will never understand
Chemistry, Biology, Life
and Human Behaviour
beyond a superficial level
To be specific: Without QC we
will never unravel the full
complexity and working of the
human brain….and mind…

22. What We Know For Sure
Human intellect amplified by AI may well get us
to the next level of understanding pre the
availability of Quantum Computing
This will be all the more certain if we
exploit Small & BIG Data across
populations of those suffering
Accurate medical records
are germane to any
prospect of success

23. Why Turn to Technology ?
Surely this is a people problem and nothing to do with tech !

24. Complexity Beyond Humanity !
Stochastic systems defeat our mathematics and v limited linear thinking…

25. Why Turn to Technology ?
No amount of ££ and people investment
will fully address this growing demand
…we can’t even produce/afford all
the regular doctors and nurses we
need for physical health let alone
the mental health specialists !
No country, no matter how big,
enjoys sufficient capable people
to meet the physical or mental
c a r e d e m a n d s o f t h e i r
population…and there is a finite
limit to those they can poach
from the poorer nations

26. Why Turn to Technology ?
The student population of our brightest and best
falls far short of the numbers required across
every sector including: commerce, care gov,
industry, services…and mental health!

27. US Perspective

28. US - UK Perspective

29. Global Shortage of Medics

30. Global Shortage of Medics
Em
ploying
m
ore
specialists,
doctors and
nurses is not a
viable
solution - it isn’t going to happen !

31. Can Empathic Technology Help ?
AI Powered Human Powered
IM
SMS
eMail
Voice close
Video close
Music
WWW
Movies close
Conference ✘
Applications
IM
SMS
eMail
Voice
Video
Music
WWW
Movies
Conference
Applications

32. Why
Things
Fail
Cause of Failures = H + M + H. M
H = Human Error
M = Machine Fail
Note: M = f(H + M + H. M) design
Ergo: Mostly non-linear
- hard to predict
- hard to detect
Spoiler Alert !

33. Solution Space
- AI
- Apps
- Parents
- Teachers
- Charities
- Technology
- Support Groups
- Society at Large
- Social Networks
- Health Care System
- Mental health professionals

34. Designing Apps/AI
Vital ‘Musts’:
- involve and include users
- experiment with and test every aspect
- embrace emergent behaviours of all H s and M s
- share all H and M experiences across all groups and AIs

35. Already Out There

36. Already Out There

37. Due Diligence
- Business Models
- Available Apps
- Effectiveness
- Technologies
- Techniques
- Take Up
- Markets
- +++
- Needs
- Advice
- Guidance
- Approvals
- Competition
- Patient Trials
- Collaboration
- +++
- Status
- Needs
- Concerns
- Assessment
- Experiment
- Collaborate
- Refinement
- +++
Commercial Medics Patients
A minimal subset of what is required

38. AI Depression Detection
A machine learning algorithm can detect
anxiety and depression in the speech
patterns of young children, potentially
providing a fast and easy way of diagnosing
conditions that are difficult to spot and
often overlooked in young people
Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8700173

39. People Behaviours
Appears to be impossible to
predict…and they soon stray
from the designers intent and
supplier recommendations

40. People Behaviours
Appears to be impossible…

41. Last Words
“Tread softly, lest you step
upon my dreams”

42. Thank You
petercochrane.com
Sentient Systems Research