CIHR-funded project targets early warning signs of mood disorders in youth

A new CIHR‑funded collaboration led by Rudolf Uher (Psychiatry, Dalhousie) is bringing together clinicians, geneticists, and AI researchers to understand the earliest warning signs of mood disorders in young people.

A2I2 members Frank Rudzicz and Sageev Oore will lead the machine‑learning and signal‑processing work. The team will analyse rich data from youth and their parents—including speech, language, and other digital markers—alongside clinical and family‑history information. The goal is to identify patterns that predict who is at higher risk for major depressive or bipolar disorders before symptoms become severe.

Earlier, more precise identification of risk can make a profound difference: it enables targeted monitoring and timely, less invasive interventions, and it helps families and clinicians plan supports that fit each young person’s trajectory.

For A2I2, this project highlights how responsible AI can extend beyond diagnosis to long‑term, preventative mental health care—helping clinicians make sense of complex data while keeping human judgment and consent at the centre.