Can your phone tell if you’re depressed?

There’s no doubt that smartphones make our lives easier. From life-managing apps to health trackers and our own personal assistant (hi, Siri), our phones have become like another limb, essential to going about our daily lives.

And researchers are starting to establish what that connection to our phone tells us about our mood. Your phone may even be able to tell if your depressed, according to a small study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The findings? The more time someone spends on their phone the more likely they are to be depressed.

For the study, researchers from Northwestern University recruited 28 people aged 19 to 58 and optimised their smartphones with location and usage monitoring software. They were also required to complete a survey measuring depressive symptoms – half of the cohort had symptoms of depressions. Over the two-week study period, the phones tracked location every five minutes and sent users questions about how they were feelings several times a day.

“The more time people spend on their phones, the more likely that are to be more depressed,” study author David Mohr told Time. The phone data they collected was 87% accurate in determining whether someone had symptoms of depression; researchers collected data on how many places people visited per day, how much time they spent in these places and how frequently they used their phones.

More: Phone addiction linked to depression

This data was then correlated against depression survey results. Actions like spending more time in just one or two places, was linked to higher likeliness of depressive symptoms, while those who followed a regular routine were less likely to be depressed.

While the study is preliminary, experts home smartphone sensors will be able to help people spot and manage depression more quickly. “Being able to get people timely treatment for depression is a critical failure point in public health right now,” said Mohr.

If you're seeking support for depressive symptoms, contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue.

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