The new study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, found that depression could be detected from smartphone usage—and it’s possibly a better indicator of the condition than one’s own self-assessment. In fact, scientists were able to identify people with depressive symptoms with 87% accuracy, just according to their phone data. (Check out these 6 Surprising Diseases Linked To Depression.) Researchers tracked the smartphone habits of 28 people, ages 19 to 58, for 2 weeks, monitoring their GPS locations and phone usage data through a Northwestern University–created tracking app called Purple Robot. The researchers noted what a normal 24-hour routine was for each volunteer, how often they moved between locations and traveled to new places, and how frequently they used their phones and for how long. The participants were also asked to complete a self-reported depression survey. According to the findings, people with more depressive symptoms were found to visit fewer locations, spending the majority of their time between “favorite” locations such as home and work. No surprise there. But phone usage was also a key factor in determining the severity of depression, as higher levels of depressive symptoms were directly related to more use of a phone, in terms of both duration and frequency. (Learn how to take control of your depression symptoms naturally with the Mind Body Mood Solution.) MORE: 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting Antidepressants What exactly were these depressed subjects doing on their iPhones and Androids? The study didn’t distinguish between texting, scrolling through Facebook posts, or responding to emails, so we don’t know, but that will undoubtedly be the focus of more research in the future. Because phones are such an integral part of our daily lives—and because phone sensors can track our daily habits so accurately—researchers believe the devices could play an important role in determining early signs of conditions like depression, and possibly even improving treatment options down the line. iProzac: The App, anyone?
