Online Program

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Thursday, October 19
Thu, Oct 19, 2:45 PM - 3:50 PM
Aventine Ballroom E
Speed Session 1

Mining Mental Health Surveys from Tech Workers (303893)

*Mikaela A Miller, Children's Mercy Hospital 

Keywords: machine learning, mental health, technology

Background: The World Health Organization estimates 18.1 %-36.1% of people experienced symptoms of mental disorders in the previous 12 months. An ongoing survey conducted by Open Source Mental Health that measures attitudes towards mental health and examines the frequency of mental health disorders among tech workers, found nearly half of the respondents answered "Yes" to ever having had a diagnosis of mental illness by a medical professional. Methods: The data are licensed through the Creative Commons. Decision trees and neural nets were applied to the data to predict how the respondent answered whether or not they were currently suffering from mental disorders. Results: Among the 1,433 surveys already collected, those identifying as non-male were more likely to report currently suffering from a mental disorder. Using a neural net, 85% sensitivity was achieved in predicting those currently suffering from mental disorders. Predictors include company size, working remotely, mental health benefits, and attitudes toward mental health in the workplace. Conclusion: Factors related to mental health are important considerations for employees and employers in the tech industry.