Can the way you speak and write today predict your future mental state, even the onset of psychosis? In this fascinating talk, neuroscientist Mariano Sigman reflects on ancient Greece and the origins of introspection to investigate how our words hint at our inner lives and details a word-mapping algorithm that could predict the development of schizophrenia. "We may be seeing in the future a very different form of mental health," Sigman says, "based on objective, quantitative and automated analysis of the words we write, of the words we say."
Mental disorders are often considered “invisible illnesses,” as the symptoms aren’t always visible. Illustrator and game developer Nicky Case wanted to shed more light on one of the most common mental illnesses – anxiety. With the launch of their new interactive choose-your-own-adventure style game, “Adventures with Anxiety,” Case shows just how clingy the condition can be – by depicting it as a pet wolf, ready to bite at any moment. Case spoke with Storybench, just a few days after the big launch, to discuss interactive story design and making sure we all get enough sleep.
