Researchers develop PROSIT app that tracks mental health by studying phone usage

The researchers of Dalhousie University have come up with a new app that can detect mental conditions like anxiety and depression based on how you use your phone.

The app is called PROSIT and includes tracking features like exercise, sleep, call frequency, message histories and music tastes. An emotionally charged state can be detected with your typing speed and the force you use.

The App will also ask the users to record a 90-second audio clip to talk about their best and exciting part of the week. They (users) will be asked to self-report their feelings on a five-point scale.

PROSIT is currently is under the testing stage where about 300 people are using this app. Half among the users are patients.

Privacy concerns have hit the users a lot of times and the developers are well aware of it. To tackle this issue, the use of app requires a signed consent and the data will be stored in a secure location.

PROSIT does not provide a complete analysis of one's mental health but could prove useful for the psychologists track and better understand their patients’ development outside of sessions.

The world has witnessed a rise in mental health issues due to the coronavirus pandemic. The researchers from the University College London (UCL) in the UK found that one in four people hospitalised with COVID-19 may experience delirium during their illness.

The post-recovery effects of COVID-19 are not yet known, so long-term risks such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic fatigue, depression, and anxiety are based on SARS and MERS studies, which may or may not apply to COVID-19 as well.