Data Collection for Automatic Depression Identification in Spanish Speakers Using Deep Learning Algorithms: Protocol for a Case-Control Study.
Journal:
JMIR research protocols
Published Date:
Jul 31, 2025
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Depression is a mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Although common, it remains difficult to diagnose due to its heterogeneous symptomatology. Mental health questionnaires are currently the most used assessment method to screen depression; these, however, have a subjective nature due to their dependence on patients' self-assessments. Researchers have been interested in finding an accurate way of identifying depression through an objective biomarker. Recent developments in neural networks and deep learning have enabled the possibility of classifying depression through the computational analysis of voice recordings. However, this approach is heavily dependent on the availability of datasets to train and test deep learning models, and these are scarce. There are also very few languages available. This study proposes a protocol for the collection of a new dataset for deep learning research on voice depression classification, featuring Spanish speakers, professional and smartphone microphones, and a high-quality recording standard.
