Screening word usage in people affected by PTSD: an unbiased, cost effective, and novel screening method?

According to the World Health Organization, mental illness is the leading cause of disability worldwide accounting for 37% of years of healthy life lost. Prevention and early detection of mental health disorders is important for social stability and economic prosperity of every country and the world at large. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a very common condition with more than 3 million cases per year in the US alone. PTSD symptoms usually start soon after a traumatic event. The right diagnosis in a timely manner is key to ensuring prompt treatment that could lead to a full recovery. Unfortunately, social stigma as well as self-presentation and self-assessment biases often prevent individuals from seeking timely evaluation, leading to delays in treatment and suboptimal outcomes. Previous studies show that various mental health conditions are associated with distinct patterns of language use. Analyzing language use may also help to avoid response bias in self-reports. In this study we show a number of language use differences between PTSD sufferers and controls. Our data also suggest that subgroups of people with the same mental health disorder (PTSD in this study) may have salient differences in their language use, particularly in word usage frequencies. Additionally, we show that word usage patterns may vary depending on the type of the text being analyzed. These factors need to be accounted for when creating screening tools based on language analysis. If properly developed, such tools may facilitate earlier PTSD diagnosis, leading to timely support and treatment, which are associated with better outcomes.