Use of Artificial Intelligence-Based Strategies for Assessing Suicidal Behavior and Mental Illness: A Literature Review

Mental illness leading to suicide attempts is prevalent in a large portion of the population especially in low and middle-income nations. There remains a significant social stigma associated with mental illness that can lead to stigmatization of patients. Hence, patients are reluctant to communicate their problems to health care providers. Physicians have difficulty in timely identification of patients at risk for suicide. Novel and rigorously designed strategies are needed to determine the population at risk for suicide. This would be the first step in overcoming the multitude of barriers in the management of mental illness. Clinical tools and the use of electronic medical records (EMR) are time intensive. Recently, several artificial intelligence (AI)-based predictive technologies have gained momentum. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent advances in this landscape.