Harnessing the quantified self movement for optimal mental health and wellbeing

Abstract

Treatment innovation in the mental health sector is a major public-health priority. A specific sub-challenge underlying the development of new treatments is the use of digital technologies to support mental health interventions. In addition to the potential benefits of increased access to care and reduced costs to service providers, the implementation of digital technologies could enhance patient engagement by offering greater flexibility than afforded by routine systems of care and through the tailoring of interventions to best suit patients in their own environments. Using self-relevant information extracted from individual's day-to-day lives may be one means to achieve a personalised approach. Wearable technologies provide an unprecedented means to collect information about individuals, which has led to the 'quantified self movement'. As these technologies become seamlessly integrated into people's lives, they also open up new possibilities for research and clinical avenues to promote mental health and wellbeing. The potential synergy between wearable devices makes it possible to track, monitor, and provide immediate feedback to promote behavioural and/or cognitive change in a manner that is currently impossible in traditional mental health settings. Wearable devices with wireless connectivity are capable of transmitting information that can automatically interact with another digital interface, such as a smartphone or smartwatch. In this way, information collected in an individual's environment (e.g., visual capture from a Narrative Clip wearable camera) could lead to immediate targeted action. This combination of features makes wearable devices ideal for mental health research where exposure to systematic cues can be assessed or when compliance to recommendations needs to be monitored. The aim of this talk is to explore the potential applications (and challenges) of wearable devices in mental health contexts, with the hope of stimulating further cross-disciplinary work at the intersection of technology and applied social and behavioural science research.