\u201cClinical trials show that most current interventions only show about a 30% benefit on average in terms of depression remission; here we see a near doubling of that due to targeting the top lifestyle predictive factors with data-driven personalized coaching,\u201d said Mishra.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mishra thinks the intervention may be more effective because it is a departure from generic recommendations for behavioral health.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knows that we should eat healthier diets or try to sleep eight hours or exercise 150 minutes per week and so on,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I think personalized insights can be more empowering than these general guidelines because they\u2019re not so overwhelming. When one is in a depressed state, it’s not possible to change everything about one’s life \u2014 you’re just trying to survive and function on a day-to-day basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the study was small, it provides the first evidence that digital monitoring, machine learning-derived insights and brief, personalized weekly coaching delivered remotely may be a promising integrated approach to address mild-to-moderate depression in large groups of people. A larger, controlled study of this personalized therapeutic approach is needed to validate the findings.\u00a0<\/p>\n