Frequent Phone Use in Teens Linked to Depression, Study Finds

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A study has led researchers to conclude that the amount of time a person spends on his or her smartphone is significant in diagnosing depression.

Researchers from the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine deduced that phone location and data usage can successfully predict depression by 87 percent, reports Science World Report.

According to the Inquisitr, researchers studied the phone locations and data usage of 40 participants, who were all gathered from Craigslist. The researchers were able to keep tabs on the participants through an app called Purple Robot.

The app kept a record of the places each participant went to throughout the two-week study. It also kept a record of the amount of data participants used on their phones. Additionally, participants would frequently be asked about their moods throughout the day.

At the end of two weeks, researchers analyzed the information Purple Robot provided, reports UPI. However, not all the phones of the 40 participants were studied, since only 28 of the volunteers' smartphones contained enough data for the study.

Of the 28, 50 percent were found to have no symptoms of depression, while the other 50 percent was diagnosed with mild to severe depression.

Science World Report states that those who exhibited symptoms of depression used their phone for around 68 minutes; whereas the people who were not diagnosed with depression only used their phones for 17 minutes.

The site does not explain however, if the time usage was accumulated within one day or throughout the two-week study. 

David Mohr, director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University, explained: "The data showing depressed people tended not to go many places reflects the loss motivation seen in depression.

He went on to say, "When people are depressed, they tend to withdraw and don't have the motivation or energy to go out and do things. People are likely, when on their phones, to avoid thinking about that are troubling, painful feelings or difficult relationships. It's an avoidance behavior we see in depression."

Despite the researcher's conclusion, many have criticized the study. NHS Choices, in particular, lists several limitations of the study. According to the site, the link established by the study between depression and heavy phone usage was weak.

One limitation of the study is its small sample size. NHS states that location data was only gathered from 18 people from the study. Moreover, only 28 of the participants' phones were used for data.

Several factors were not considered by the researchers before forming their conclusion as well, such as the participants' employment or their mental health prior to the study.

NHS states that employment could greatly affect the location data in the study. Furthermore, common factors usually accounted for in other studies were not considered such as history of mental health or medical conditions, age and sex.