Wellness Under Watch: Using Wearables and Data to Catch Depression Early
For many people living with major depressive disorder (MDD), getting better is only part of the battle. Staying well can be just as hard. Even after successful treatment, relapse is common, and it’s not always clear who is at risk. A new CAN-BIND study is working to change that by using smartphones, wearable devices, and clinical assessments to better understand what could help predict when an individual’s depression might return.
Tracking Wellness Over Time
The CAN-BIND Wellness Monitoring in Major Depressive Disorder (CBN-WELL) study followed 96 individuals in remission from depression who continued their regular treatment. For up to two years, participants completed clinical interviews, filled out questionnaires, and used remote monitoring tools like wrist-worn activity trackers and smartphones. By gathering such a wide range of information, CAN-BIND researchers aimed to discover what increases the risk of relapse and how to identify it before symptoms come back.
What They Found
About 3 in 10 participants (28.9%) experienced a relapse during the study, typically around seven months after reaching remission. Interestingly, nearly half of those (46.7%) who did not relapse still experienced mild symptoms occasionally, but these did not necessarily lead to a full relapse.
The researchers found that standard clinical assessments done at the start of the study were not very effective by themselves in predicting who would relapse. However, monitoring how symptoms of anxiety and depression changed together over time provided more valuable insights. Additionally, data from wearable devices and self-reported questionnaires helped improve predictions of relapse risk. Participants also reported that using these technologies was easy and manageable, making them a practical way to gather ongoing information to better understand depression relapse.
Why it Matters
Depression often returns even after successful treatment, which can greatly affect an individual’s quality of life. Doctors usually can’t predict relapse from a single clinical visit, but using technology to monitor an individual’s mental health over time offers a new way to catch early warning signs. This means doctors and patients can take action sooner to prevent depression from coming back or getting worse.
Final Takeaway
This research is part of a growing effort to use technology to tailor mental health care to each individual. By combining information from wearable devices, smartphones, and clinical checkups, the study shows how continuous mental health monitoring can better predict when depression might come back. This method can help people receive timely support and improve their long-term mental health outcomes.
Citation: Lam, R. W. et al. Predicting Relapse of Depressive Episodes During Maintenance Treatment: The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND) Wellness Monitoring in Major Depressive Disorder Study: Prédire la rechute d’épisodes dépressifs pendant le traitement d’entretien : Une étude de suivi du bien-être dans les troubles dépressifs majeurs du Réseau canadien d’intégration des biomarqueurs pour la dépression (CAN-BIND). Can J Psychiatry 07067437251337603 (2025) doi:10.1177/07067437251337603.