NIMHANS and IIT Kharagpur to launch AI depression screening tool HEADS on September 24

NIMHANS, in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur and the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health in Tezpur, will formally launch an artificial intelligence-powered depression screening tool on September 24.

The system, called HEADS — Human-in-the-loop Evaluation of Assisted Depression Screening — is designed to support clinicians rather than replace them, embedding a human decision-maker within the AI-driven assessment process.

The initiative brings together two of India's leading research institutions alongside a specialist psychiatric facility in Assam, reflecting an effort to extend the tool's reach beyond major urban centres and into regions where mental healthcare professionals are in short supply.