AI reads faces and voices to spot hidden mental health issues in ER
NCT ID NCT06473558
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study explores whether artificial intelligence can help emergency department doctors identify depression and anxiety in patients. Researchers will record 30 adult patients' facial expressions and voice tones as they read a story, and then use AI to analyze those recordings. The goal is to see if the AI can match standard screening questionnaires for depression and anxiety, potentially offering a new tool for early detection.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- AI software analyzing facial expressions and voice recordings
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a quick, non-invasive way for emergency doctors to identify patients who may be struggling with depression or anxiety.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study with only 30 participants. The AI may not be accurate enough, and results may not apply to all patients or settings.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients (age 18 and over) who presents to the UHCMC ED voluntarily with no obvious psychological disturbance by self-report or nurse/provider initial assessment * English-speaking * Patients with non-emergent concerns of Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level 3, 4, or 5 Exclusion Criteria: * Prisoners * Patients who are deemed to be critically ill (including life or limb threatening illness) or unable to consent * Non-English Speaking
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospitals ED
Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States
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