Northwell Health researchers using Facebook data and AI to spot early stages of severe psychiatric illness

After going missing for three days in 2016, Christian Herrera Gaton of Jackson Heights, New York, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type 1.

His experiences with bipolar disorder include mood swings, depression and manic episodes. During a recent bout with the illness, he was admitted to Zucker Hillside Hospital in August 2020 due to some stress he was feeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.

While at Zucker for treatment, the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of New York’s Northwell Health, approached him to join a study about Facebook data and psychiatric conditions.