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According to a recent study published in the journal ACM, wearable devices could predict how depressed patients respond to treatment.
Digital bracelet, smart scale, high-tech textiles… Connected objects are now part of everyday life. So much so that a team of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Illinois in Chicago took a close look at the effects of laptops on patients with depression. According to them, these digital tools could help doctors monitor the treatment and behavior of patients.
Phones could ‘monitor’ mental health
In this randomized clinical trial, researchers used wearable device data from 106 volunteers with depression. All wore Fitbit connected bracelets on their wrists.
The volunteers were then divided into two groups of patients: one was receiving treatment and the other was not. The data from the two groups was then combined and analyzed by a new machine learning model.
The objective of the scientists was simple: to predict the way in which the antidepressant treatment acted in each of the individuals.
Results ? At the end of the trial, the machine learning model predicted treatment outcomes better than another model examining each of the groups separately.
“Making personalized predictions of the prognosis of patients based on the treatment received, and doing so early and throughout treatment, could be useful and contribute to shared decision-making by the patient and the treating physician in order to adapt the treatment. “reveals Ruixuan Dai, PhD student and software engineer at Google.
Faced with depression, the use of portable devices would therefore be promising according to the researchers.
Already in 2019, a group of clinicians, engineers and students from McGill University had developed a “smart” phone application that could provide better care for people battling depression.
In France, nearly one person in five has suffered or will suffer from depression during their lifetime. All ages are affected.
The disease is manifested by a set of symptoms and not by an isolated sign. According to the DSM-5 definition, at least five of the following symptoms must have been present during the same two-week period and have represented a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.
- Depressed mood present almost all day, almost every day, reported by the subject (feeling sad or empty) or observed by others (crying).
- Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all or nearly all activities most of the day, almost every day.
- Significant weight loss or gain (5%) when not dieting, or daily decreased or increased appetite.
- Insomnia or hypersomnia almost every day.
- Restlessness or psychomotor slowing almost every day.
- Tiredness or loss of energy every day.
- Feeling of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which can be delusional) almost every day (not just self-blame or guilt for being sick).
- Decreased ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness almost every day (reported by subject or observed by others).
- Recurrent thoughts of death (not just a fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan to kill oneself.
If in doubt, it is important to consult.