The Digital Mental Health Study (DMHS) is designed to help revolutionize the detection and treatment of depression. The study is the largest of its kind today and is conducted in collaboration with Apple. The study consisted of two pilot phases before the launch of the final or main phase of the study, which began at the end of January 2022.
The research uses powerful sensor technology across iPhone, Apple Watch and Beddit sleep-monitoring devices. The main study involves more than 3,000 participants from UCLA Health and the UCLA student body who are expected to continue their engagement in the study for approximately one year.
Why this research is important
Making the connection between objective, quantifiable data and symptoms of anxiety and depression could give health care providers the power to prevent the onset of depressive episodes, track the effectiveness of treatment and identify causes of depression.
To obtain objective measures of factors such as sleep, physical activity, heart rate and daily routines to illuminate the relationship between these factors and symptoms of depression and anxiety.
August 2020 – April 2024
More than 3,000
Principal Investigator: Nelson Freimer
Operations Lead: Eliza Congdon
Apple
