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A simple wrist-worn wearable device predicts when depression could hit, and it does so weeks to months before symptoms appear. That’s according to psychiatrists at McMaster University, with findings published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Their study followed 93 Canadian adults with histories of major depression. Each wore an actigraphy-based wrist device, similar to a fitness tracker, for one to two years, generating more than 32,000 days of movement data during sleep and daytime activity.

Those with irregular sleep patterns have nearly twice the risk of a significant depressive relapse. The strongest warning signal is a movement similarity between daytime activity and sleep. Other good predictors are increased wakefulness as well as progressively more erratic sleep schedules prior to relapse episodes.

This data suggests that a depression relapse is preceded by subtle biological and behavioral changes rather than sudden mood shifts. Passive monitoring of sleep and movement could alert both patients and their mental health team sthat their depression risk is rising resulting in earlier intervention.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2844602

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260211/Simple-wrist-worn-device-enables-early-detection-of-depression-relapse.aspx

#depression #wearable #sleep #activity