Wearable device for determining and preempting the emotional dysregulation of ADHD adolescents

Anger is one of our core natural emotions. It is a crucial part of the survival of the human species as it assists us to conquer fears and can trigger the fight or flight response when we encounter threats and dangerous situations. However, the dysregulation of anger control can lead to different health and psychological problems for individuals. This is especially true for adolescents who were diagnosed with Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous research has shown that emotion dysregulation is one of the main reasons young people with ADHD have difficulty socially leading to a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse especially as adolescents. Current and past research suggests that behaviour conditioning and medication are two possible ways that destructive and unwarranted symptoms of ADHD may be reduced. Effective conditioning involves first sensing an ADHD individual is moving towards an unstable anger trigger point, and then mitigating the cause or distracting the individual to prevent further aggravation. Specific changes of certain vital signs, during the mood change, can be detected as the individual moves towards a trigger point. These include changes in the Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), pulse rate (PR) and skin temperature (ST). These mentioned vital signs can be used as indicators of changes in mood or stress. This research considers the above three factors and combines the necessary sensors into one wearable device for an ADHD individual to wear. The unit constantly monitors the changes in the GSR, PR and ST of the user. A symbolic Artificial Intelligent model was built in to predict the point before an ADHD individual becomes emotionally unstable. A warning of the situation is displayed on the wrist unit for the individual to recognize his or her emotional state as well as a possible external indication via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to a smart phone application.