- A research study has suggested that mood change can be detected by your laptop
- This allows prediction of mood data, which helps you counteract them with advice
- It can be huge to help deal with the symptoms of mental health conditions
We have seen that the best smartwatches can trace everything about your physical health, from discovering sleep apnea to predicting your best marathon times, but the next limit could predict your mental health.
Research published in the journal Nature last year utilizes the power of a smartwatch and the data it collects to map manic and depressive episodes in patients with mood disorders, based on sleep-wake data. Because stress and mood may have an impact on circadian rhythms, the study assumed that it is possible to predict upcoming ‘mood episodes’.
“Disorders of sleep and activity patterns have been observed in individuals diagnosed with mood disorders, including greater depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD),” explains the study’s introduction.
“Getting a deeper understanding of these mood-related patterns, sensors in smartphones and portable devices, such as accelerometers, global positioning system sensors (GPS) and light sensors, have been used for non-invasive and passive collection of data within the real life environments of individuals.”
“This approach allows for prolonged, objective assessment of a patient’s physiological and behavioral status, providing a valuable supplement to conventional psychiatric assessments that depend on the subjective patient’s recall through clinical scales or interviews.”
Enormous influence on mental well -being
According to the study, this can make a huge difference to anyone suffering from a mental health, and not just greater depressive disorder or bipolar disorder.
By tracking this data and mapping them over a long period of time, Smartwatches could offer coping strategies to a whole range of people with mental health concerns, from permanent diagnoses such as bipolar disorder, to temporary episodes, such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Spotting signs that can contribute to a higher risk of depression, such as later bedtime and different day structures, can help users develop coping mechanisms to deal with or minimize their symptoms.
