Overhead camera to detect mental illness

I often think that research like this could only be done in the US where such idiocy is both respected and revered. However, University of California San Diego psychiatrist, William Perry believes that using overhead cameras and motion sensors to record the movements of a person may help him detect ADHD, schizophrenia, and other neurological disorders.

His research seems to be inspired by behavioral pattern monitoring (BPM). BPM is often used on laboratory animals to monitor their movements while exploring a maze or box. In the past, BPM has been used to determine the effects of drugs or other neurological intervention on the lab animal.

Since humans seem to be more complex than lab animals, Perry proposes the additional use of a sensor lined shirt to record motion. The shirt records their movements while the overhead camera records their position in the room that contains 10 objects of interest, and a desk, but no chair. Early tests have already uncovered differences in the way patients with these conditions explore an unfamiliar room.

‘Once they are kitted out in the shirt, we say ‘can you wait in this room for 15 minutes while we set up the equipment?’’ said Perry.

Here’s some true insight: Perry has experimented on about 100 subjects so far and has observed that people with ADHD move around the room more actively than ADHD people.

No kidding. We needed a study for that information.

While Perry admits it’s premature to correlate connections between mental states and movement patterns, he says, “We are building up a kind of physiological grammar, based on the sequence of different actions. That’s very useful because it is completely separate from the face-to-face impressions that can make observational study difficult.”

What could this nonsense be use for? Military assessment of a dictator’s mental state? Airport security? I’m usually so agitated at the current state of our airline industry, I’m certain I’d present as a lunatic. My wife would likely agree. How about Identifying mentally ill homeless persons on the street?

Honestly, trying to anticipate the mental state of anyone by studying their physical actions borders on the ridiculous given the vast spectrum exhibited by humans under different circumstances. BPM may work on lab animals, but in the field, it’s likely worthless. Big Brother is watching.

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