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The mental health system in Europe faces challenges, with extensive waiting times for diagnostic psychiatric appointments, and in Denmark, a national average waiting time of 92 weeks to see a psychiatric specialist has been reported. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is touted as a solution, particularly for prioritizing healthcare resources and reducing waiting times. However, such promises of AI must be carefully assessed, emphasizing transparency, ethics, and accountability. 

We aim to develop AI algorithms for mental health screening, specifically targeting Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which affects up to 6.9% of the European population. The algorithms will be developed on mental health data from five different datasets consisting of population-based data from Danish registers as well as patient data from existing MDD research projects. Our efforts stand out due to a combination of technical and clinical expertise, bridging the gap between data understanding and clinical context. Ethical and legal considerations will guide our algorithm assessment.

The research project is based on a collaboration between three senior scientists from different disciplines - neuroscience, AI as well as medicine - as well as two collaborators from the fields of ethics, and law. The project will be led by Associate Professor Melanie Ganz-Benjaminsen from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen (DIKU) and the Neurobiology Research Unit, Rigshospitalet (RH). She will work closely with Prof. Aasa Feragen from DTU Compute at Denmark's Technical University (DTU) and Prof. Merete Osler from the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals (CCRP-RH) and Institute of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen. Two collaborators from the field of ethics, Associate Professor Sune H. Holm from the Department of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen (IFRO KU), and legal studies, Associate Professor Katharina Ó Cathaoir from the Faculty of Law at the University of Copenhagen (LAW KU), complete the team.