The smartphone could be the tool for keeping track of a user’s mental state. This is the idea behind it PROSIT, the application developed by a group of researchers from the Dalhousie University of Nova Scotia, Canada. The app would be able to detect particular conditions such as anxiety and depression by collecting data regarding the use that the patient makes of the smartphone.
The developed system keeps track of different activities and functions: sleep, physical activity, message history, call frequency and musical tastes. But not only. Actions such as speed and typing strength that can suggest a particular emotional state are analyzed. Users are also asked to record a small clip in which to describe the most exciting part of their week and to score their emotions on a scale of 0 to 5.
The hope is that all this information can offer psychologists and specialist doctors an overview of how their patients behave outside the clinical context. In this way, they could better adapt the treatment to be used. Psychologists can actually find out if their patients are anxious or depressed beyond what is said during the sessions. PROSIT is currently used by about 300 people, half of whom are patients and have some mental disorder.
Similar applications could undoubtedly represent a useful tool for professionals, but inevitably raise privacy and data security concerns. The team of researchers said they took these aspects into consideration right from the design. The information collected is encrypted and stored in a safe place, they assure. Participants must also sign a consent form for the collection and processing of data before downloading the application.
Obviously, the ultimate goal is not to replace the professional doctor but to ensure that more complete healthcare is offered.
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