Using your phone and wearables to improve depression care
Mobile Technology to Optimize Depression Treatment
This project uses data from smartphones and wearable sensors to find patterns that help match people with depression to treatments most likely to help them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11176001 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would carry a smartphone and wear sensors that record things like sleep, activity, heart rate, and social behavior while receiving usual depression care. Researchers will combine these passive data streams with treatment outcomes to find signals that predict which treatments work best for which people. The study aims to enroll a large group so patterns across multiple types of data can be meaningfully linked to recovery. Results would be used to guide more personalized treatment choices and to track recovery over time.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with current depressive symptoms who are starting or receiving treatment and are willing to use a smartphone and wearable sensors are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without access to a smartphone or wearable, or those without a depressive disorder, are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help clinicians pick more effective depression treatments faster using phone and wearable data.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller studies have shown links between single mobile measures (like sleep or activity) and depression, but combining multiple passive data streams to match treatment is newer.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sen, Srijan — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Sen, Srijan
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.