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would work on ways to help detect and diagnose conditions such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline using an iPhone. Researchers hope analysis of data such as mobility, sleep patterns and the way people type could spot behaviors associated with these conditions, according to .
Other measurements could include analysis of facial expressions and heart and respiratory rates. All processing would take place on the device, with no data being sent to Apple servers.
The company is working on research projects that could lead to the development of these features. The University of California, Los Angeles is studying stress, anxiety, and depression, using Apple Watch and iPhone data from 3,000 volunteers being tracked in a study starting this year. A pilot phase that began in 2020 recorded data from 150 participants.
Researchers will compare data captured from the iPhone’s sensors and the watch with questionnaires participants will fill out about how they feel, according to the report. They are also said to measure the level of cortisol, a stress hormone, in participants’ hair follicles. Apple and UCLA in August 2020.
Another research project is underway and could be taken into account in this Apple project. The company and pharmaceutical company Biogen said in January that they were working on a two-year study to monitor cognitive function and possibly detect mild cognitive impairment, which could progress to Alzheimer’s disease. The plan is to follow around 20,000 participants, about half of whom are at high risk for dementia.
If the data from the studies matches symptoms of depression or anxiety, Apple could use it to create a feature that alerts users if they see signs of a mental health issue. The iPhone could encourage people to seek treatment, which could be important because early detection can improve quality of life in the long run.
Apple and its partners are in the early stages of this work, so it will likely be at least a few years before the company adds mental health monitoring features to the iPhone. There is no guarantee that research will lead to such features.
Some previous studies have indicated that people with certain conditions use devices differently from others. It is not yet clear whether the developers can create algorithms that can reliably and accurately detect mental health issues.
Yet there is no smoke without fire. Health has been for Apple for the past few years, so there is a chance that features based on this research will eventually emerge.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on Engadget.
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