Data from your iPhone can detect depression by tracking the number of minutes you use the device, as well as where you go.
The more time you spend using your phone, the more likely you are depressed. The average daily usage for depressed individuals was about 68 minutes, while for non-depressed individuals it was about 17 minutes.
Spending most of your time at home and most of your time in fewer locations—as measured by GPS tracking—also are linked to depression. And, having a less regular day-to-day schedule, leaving your house and going to work at different times each day, for example, also is linked to depression.
Based on the phone sensor data, scientists could identify people with depressive symptoms with 87 percent accuracy in a small study.
