An app estimates psychological age to provide personalised care

The new platform offers users mental health assistance based on predictions developed by deep learning models

Spotted: Extended longevity is the dream of tech billionaires and ordinary people alike. And yet, there is not much point in living longer if you are not also in good mental and physical health. Maintaining this health is the concern of Deep Longevity, a unit of Hong Kong-listed Endurance RP Limited. The company has developed a longevity cloud platform that aims to help people preserve their peak health for longer periods of time.

Deep Longevity has developed several SaaS products to help users keep track of the ageing process at ‘every level’. One of its most recent apps, FuturSelf, uses an artificial intelligence (AI) model to estimate users’ psychological age and wellbeing in order to create a personalised mental health programme. The app is based on research conducted in partnership with Dr Nancy Etcoff of the Harvard Medical School and published in the biomedical peer-reviewed journal Aging US.

The study describes the development of two digital models of human psychology. One uses deep neural networks to predict the psychological age and wellbeing of a person 10 years in the future. The second model is a ‘self-organising map’ that can act as the foundation of a recommendation engine to help people based on predicted mental health applications.

In a statement, Alex Zhavoronkov, chief longevity officer at Deep Longevity, explained the advantages of the new platform, saying, “existing mental health applications offer generic advice that applies to everyone yet fits no one. Using Deep Longevity’s digital approach to managing mental health, an invaluable feedback loop is created that can help [users] thrive by increasing their motivation and productivity or allowing them to seek important emotional support when required.”

The world is in the grip of a mental health crisis, which is why we are seeing a host of innovative options for providing treatment and support more widely. These have included a mental health and wellbeing app for families and smart devices that recreate the relaxing experience of forest bathing.  

Mental health is a complex issue, and those in need of urgent help can find information about the services available on the United for Global Mental Health website.