Digital phenotyping is an evolving research method, studying the impact of technology on both human behavior and health. It uses data from smart devices to create a picture of people’s behavior, allowing scientists to track markers of depression and anxiety and create new treatment plans. By analyzing habits, digital phenotyping can also be used to predict an illness relapse before it occurs.
Harvard University Clinical Psychologist Dr. Matthew K. Nock is using Embrace for Research to detect digital phenotypes related to suicidal thoughts in a multi-site study involving hundreds of individuals wearing Embrace2. This is the largest-yet study about suicidal behavior also measuring skin conductance levels as an objective way to assess changes in physiological distress in participants.