Federated foundation models for psychiatry: a new paradigm for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of mood disorders

Multimodal Multitask Federated Foundation Models (M3T-FedFMs) represent a new frontier in artificial intelligence (AI), enabling integration of diverse data modalities and multitask learning while preserving data confidentiality through federated learning. Although still in their infancy, these models hold immense promise for advancing psychiatric research, particularly in the characterization and assessment of mood disorders. In this perspective paper, we articulate a forward-looking vision for deploying M3T-FedFMs in psychiatric practice and delineate key challenges and open research directions critical for realizing next-generation, AI-driven mental health care.