Smartphone app predicts depression
The traditional method for studying the development of depression is via a questionnaire. But the Department of Clinical Psychology in the University of Groningen is starting up a similar study using an app. This simple smartphone programme will be used to ask participants just one question: how are you feeling at the moment?
Questions such as ‘how many hours of sleep did you get last month?’ or ‘how unpredictable were your moods last week?’ are much more difficult to answer than a simple ‘how are you feeling at the moment?’ A recent study has shown that the answer to this question is a fairly accurate measure of an approaching bout of depression. The only condition is that the question is asked often enough to give a good impression of how often and how quickly a person’s mood is changing.
The app asks the person how he/she is feeling several times a day. A ‘mood meter’ registers the mood score on a scale of five to ten.
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. A staggering twenty percent of the population will experience depression at some time during their life. Depression has a huge impact on quality of life, it reduces life expectancy and puts a strain on the person’s social and working environment.
Relapse
Furthermore, eighty percent of those who have suffered one bout of depression will have a relapse. This makes it important to recognize the warning signs as early as possible. The app would seem to be a useful instrument.
The study is being carried out as part of national research into the effectiveness of short training courses to prevent relapse. The aim is find out which method works best: continuing with antidepressants, cognitive training or a combination of both. People who have suffered and recovered from more than one bout of depression can apply to take part in this study.
For questions and more information, please contact: C. Slofstra, tel. +31 (0)6 39 616 754, e-mail: doorbreekdepressie gmail.com
See also: www.doorbreek-depressie.nlLast modified: | 09 July 2020 3.25 p.m. |
More news
-
11 June 2025
Liekuut | Elite sport brings people together and makes for a great testing ground
Is elite sport only fun for the people who are actually doing it? It generates money and attention, there are special arrangements in place for students who compete at the highest level, and newspapers are full of sports headlines, but how does it...
-
28 May 2025
Gaan avondmensen cognitief sneller achteruit dan ochtendmensen?
Wie ’s avonds opleeft en laat naar bed gaat, heeft een grotere kans op cognitieve achteruitgang dan een ochtendmens, blijkt uit UMCG-onderzoek.
-
27 May 2025
An adventure in the brain
In the exhibition Brainstorm in the University Mueseum, Iris Sommer and two other brain researchers from Groningen explain the gut-brain connection, how it was discovered that the brain does what it does, and how games motivate you to perform...