<p>A new smart phone senses your depression and nudges you to go out with friends, a study reveals.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It’s the future of therapy at a new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine centre where scientists are inventing web-based, mobile and virtual technologies to treat depression and other mood disorders. <br /><br />The phone and similar projects bypass traditional weekly therapy sessions for novel approaches that provide immediate support and access to a much larger population, a university statement said.<br /><br />“We’re inventing new ways of technology that can help people with mental health problems,” said psychologist David Mohr and professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School. <br />“The potential to reduce or even prevent depression is enormous,” said Mohr.<br /><br />New treatment<br /><br />“These new approaches could offer fundamentally new treatment options to people who are unable to access traditional services or who are uncomfortable with standard psychotherapy,” said Mohr.<br /><br />“They also can be offered at significantly lower costs, which makes them more viable in an era of limited resources,” added Mohr.<br /><br />The goal is for the Feinberg centre to become a national resource, offering a library of intervention technologies that will be available to other researchers.<br /><br />Also in the works are a virtual human therapist which will work with teens to prevent depression; a medicine bottle that reminds you to take antidepressant medication and tells your doctor if the dosage needs adjusting; and a web-based social network to help cancer survivors relieve sadness and stress.</p>
<p>A new smart phone senses your depression and nudges you to go out with friends, a study reveals.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It’s the future of therapy at a new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine centre where scientists are inventing web-based, mobile and virtual technologies to treat depression and other mood disorders. <br /><br />The phone and similar projects bypass traditional weekly therapy sessions for novel approaches that provide immediate support and access to a much larger population, a university statement said.<br /><br />“We’re inventing new ways of technology that can help people with mental health problems,” said psychologist David Mohr and professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School. <br />“The potential to reduce or even prevent depression is enormous,” said Mohr.<br /><br />New treatment<br /><br />“These new approaches could offer fundamentally new treatment options to people who are unable to access traditional services or who are uncomfortable with standard psychotherapy,” said Mohr.<br /><br />“They also can be offered at significantly lower costs, which makes them more viable in an era of limited resources,” added Mohr.<br /><br />The goal is for the Feinberg centre to become a national resource, offering a library of intervention technologies that will be available to other researchers.<br /><br />Also in the works are a virtual human therapist which will work with teens to prevent depression; a medicine bottle that reminds you to take antidepressant medication and tells your doctor if the dosage needs adjusting; and a web-based social network to help cancer survivors relieve sadness and stress.</p>
