He MY, Li XY. Letter to the Editor: From prototype to paradigm - a paradigm shift in multimodal detection of adolescent depression. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(10): 119855 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.119855]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Meng-Yang He, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Wuhan Sports University, No. 461 Luoyu Road, Zhuodaoquan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430079, Hubei Province, China. 2021008@whsu.edu.cn
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Clinical Neurology
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letter
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He MY, Li XY. Letter to the Editor: From prototype to paradigm - a paradigm shift in multimodal detection of adolescent depression. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(10): 119855 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.119855]
World J Psychiatry. Oct 19, 2026; 16(10): 119855 Published online Oct 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.119855
Letter to the Editor: From prototype to paradigm - a paradigm shift in multimodal detection of adolescent depression
Meng-Yang He, Xin-Yue Li
Meng-Yang He, Xin-Yue Li, Department of Psychology, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei Province, China
Co-first authors: Meng-Yang He and Xin-Yue Li.
Author contributions: He MY and Li XY critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, conceived the research idea and designed the commentary framework, drafted the initial manuscript as co-first authors; all authors have read and approved the final version for submission.
AI contribution statement: All the substantial contents of critical analysis, arguments and conclusions were written by the authors. AI was only used to improve the language after we had written the content ourselves. Only language refinement (grammar, expression, sentence structure). No Translation, data analysis, or content creation took place. An AI-assisted language tool was used during preparation and revision of the answering-reviewers document. Its use was limited to English expression: Grammar, word choice, sentence flow, and readability. The tool was not used as a reviewer, co-author, or source of scientific judgment. Decisions about how to respond to each comment were made by the authors.
Supported by Joint Project of Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation, No. 2025AFD654.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Corresponding author: Meng-Yang He, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Wuhan Sports University, No. 461 Luoyu Road, Zhuodaoquan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430079, Hubei Province, China. 2021008@whsu.edu.cn
Received: February 9, 2026 Revised: February 21, 2026 Accepted: May 20, 2026 Published online: October 19, 2026 Processing time: 245 Days and 0.3 Hours
Abstract
According to a study by Zeng et al that was published in the World Journal of Psychiatry, a multimodal approach that incorporates facial expressions, voice prosody, and self-reported depression ratings substantially improves the detection of depression in adolescents. The study emphasizes the effectiveness of the extreme gradient boosting algorithm and suggests that subjective self-reports are giving way to a more accurate combination of subjective and objective data in mental health assessments. It offers a methodological foundation for developing personalized psychophysiological strategies. Despite advancements, the transition from a “promising prototype” to a “mature paradigm” is still challenging. The future paradigm of assessment must evolve into a multidimensional framework that integrates neurophysiological signals. To create a closed-loop system that combines evaluation, prediction, and intervention, wearable devices are used for dynamic ecological momentary assessment. It exhorts the academic community to collaboratively address these critical challenges, transforming this prototype into a robust paradigm ready to advance mental health into a new era characterized by objectivity and precision.
Core Tip: This commentary highlights Zeng et al’s multimodal adolescent depression detection approach (facial/vocal signals + Chinese Secondary School Students Depression Scale), which outperforms traditional methods via extreme gradient boosting. It notes the prototype’s regional/experimental limitations, advocates integrating neurophysiological signals and wearable data, and calls for interdisciplinary, multi-center collaboration to advance it to a clinical paradigm.
