(Photo via Pixabay) Researchers at UCLA and Apple teamed up to launch a major mental health study, focused on detection and treatment of depression.
The three-year project, which began this week, employs mobile technology like the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Beddit sleep-monitoring device to collect data about participants' sleep, physical activity, and daily routines.
"This collaboration, which harnesses UCLA's deep research expertise and Apple's innovative technology, has the potential to transform behavioral health research and clinical care," Nelson Freimer, director of the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge and principal study investigator, said in a statement.
"Current approaches to treating depression rely almost entirely on the subjective recollections of depression sufferers," he continued.
"This is an important step for obtaining objective and precise measurements that guide both diagnosis and treatment."
Depression affects more than 300 million people nationwide and accounts for nearly one million suicides each year, according to the University, which launched the Depression Grand Challenge in an effort to better understand the disorder and end the stigma associated with it.
Starting with 150 UCLA Health patients, the program's will carry on through 2023 with some 3,000 people from across the schools' academic medical center and student body.
While participants must own an iPhone, they will be given an Apple Watch and Beddit sleep monitor for use throughout the study.
All data obtained from periodic interviews, questionnaires, and each gadget will be coded and stripped of names and contact information.
"UCLA and Apple have designed this study so that all aspects of participation can be accomplished remotely," Freimer said, explaining that the COVID-19 pandemic has "heightened anxiety and depression globally" while limiting in-person mental health treatment.
"The analyses made possible by the scale, length, and design of this study will provide the most extensive evidence available to date regarding the possible uses of digital tools for assessing and tracking behavioral health," he added.
"We envision a future in which these tools will become indispensable for depression sufferers and those providing them care."
(Photo via Pixabay) Researchers at UCLA and Apple teamed up to launch a major mental health study, focused on detection and treatment of depression.
The three-year project, which began this week, employs mobile technology like the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Beddit sleep-monitoring device to collect data about participants' sleep, physical activity, and daily routines.
"This collaboration, which harnesses UCLA's deep research expertise and Apple's innovative technology, has the potential to transform behavioral health research and clinical care," Nelson Freimer, director of the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge and principal study investigator, said in a statement.
"Current approaches to treating depression rely almost entirely on the subjective recollections of depression sufferers," he continued.
"This is an important step for obtaining objective and precise measurements that guide both diagnosis and treatment."
Depression affects more than 300 million people nationwide and accounts for nearly one million suicides each year, according to the University, which launched the Depression Grand Challenge in an effort to better understand the disorder and end the stigma associated with it.
Starting with 150 UCLA Health patients, the program's will carry on through 2023 with some 3,000 people from across the schools' academic medical center and student body.
While participants must own an iPhone, they will be given an Apple Watch and Beddit sleep monitor for use throughout the study.
All data obtained from periodic interviews, questionnaires, and each gadget will be coded and stripped of names and contact information.
"UCLA and Apple have designed this study so that all aspects of participation can be accomplished remotely," Freimer said, explaining that the COVID-19 pandemic has "heightened anxiety and depression globally" while limiting in-person mental health treatment.
"The analyses made possible by the scale, length, and design of this study will provide the most extensive evidence available to date regarding the possible uses of digital tools for assessing and tracking behavioral health," he added.
"We envision a future in which these tools will become indispensable for depression sufferers and those providing them care."
