Internet of Things for Mental Health: Open Issues in Data Acquisition, Self-Organization, Service Level Agreement, and Identity Management

The increase of mental illness cases around the world can be described as an urgent and serious global health threat. Around 500 million people suffer from mental disorders, among which depression, schizophrenia, and dementia are the most prevalent. Revolutionary technological paradigms such as the Internet of Things (IoT) provide us with new capabilities to detect, assess, and care for patients early. This paper comprehensively survey works done at the intersection between IoT and mental health disorders. We evaluate multiple computational platforms, methods and devices, as well as study results and potential open issues for the effective use of IoT systems in mental health. We particularly elaborate on relevant open challenges in the use of existing IoT solutions for mental health care, which can be relevant given the potential impairments in some mental health patients such as data acquisition issues, lack of self-organization of devices and service level agreement, and security, privacy and consent issues, among others. We aim at opening the conversation for future research in this rather emerging area by outlining possible new paths based on the results and conclusions of this work.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT)Sonora Institute of Technology (ITSON) via the PROFAPI program PROFAPI_2020_0055Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN) project "Advanced Computing Architectures and Machine Learning-Based Solutions for Complex Problems in Bioinformatics, Biotechnology and Biomedicine" RTI2018-101674-B-I0

Mobile phones as medical devices in mental disorder treatment: an overview

Mental disorders can have a significant, negative impact on sufferers’ lives, as well as on their friends and family, healthcare systems and other parts of society. Approximately 25 % of all people in Europe and the USA experience a mental disorder at least once in their lifetime. Currently, monitoring mental disorders relies on subjective clinical self-reporting rating scales, which were developed more than 50 years ago. In this paper, we discuss how mobile phones can support the treatment of mental disorders by (1) implementing human–computer interfaces to support therapy and (2) collecting relevant data from patients’ daily lives to monitor the current state and development of their mental disorders. Concerning the first point, we review various systems that utilize mobile phones for the treatment of mental disorders. We also evaluate how their core design features and dimensions can be applied in other, similar systems. Concerning the second point, we highlight the feasibility of using mobile phones to collect comprehensive data including voice data, motion and location information. Data mining methods are also reviewed and discussed. Based on the presented studies, we summarize advantages and drawbacks of the most promising mobile phone technologies for detecting mood disorders like depression or bipolar disorder. Finally, we discuss practical implementation details, legal issues and business models for the introduction of mobile phones as medical devices

e-ESAS: Evolution of a Participatory Design-based Solution for Breast Cancer (BC) Patients in Rural Bangladesh

Healthcare facility is scarce for rural women in the developing world. The situation is worse for patients who are suffering from diseases that require long-term feedback-oriented monitoring such as breast cancer. Lack of motivation to go to the health centers on patients’ side due to sociocultural barriers, financial restrictions and transportation hazards results in inadequate data for proper assessment. Fortunately, mobile phones have penetrated the masses even in rural communities of the developing countries. In this scenario, a mobile phone-based remote symptom monitoring system (RSMS) with inspirational videos can serve the purpose of both patients and doctors. Here, we present the findings of our field study conducted on 39 breast cancer patients in rural Bangladesh. Based on the results of extensive field studies, we have categorized the challenges faced by patients in different phases of the treatment process. As a solution, we have designed, developed and deployed e-ESAS—the first mobile-based RSMS in rural context. Along with the detail need assessment of such a system, we describe the evolution of e-ESAS and the deployment results. We have included the unique and useful design lessons that we learned as e-ESAS evolved through participatory design process. The findings show how e-ESAS addresses several challenges faced by patients and doctors and positively impact their lives

Supporting Caregivers in Assisted Living Facilities for Persons with Disabilities: a User Study

Research activities on designing healthcare support systems in the field of ambient assisted living are mainly focused on addressing two problems: improving the quality of life for people in their own homes, especially the elderly, and supporting nurses and physicians in hospitals. However, few papers focus on designing specific systems for supporting caregivers that work with persons with disabilities in the context of assisted living facilities (ALFs). This paper intends to contribute to filling this gap and presents a series of guidelines for designing systems that could effectively support caregivers in tasks such as monitoring ALF inhabitants, attending to their assistance requests and managing notes and reminders regarding daily activities. These design guidelines derive from the qualitative analysis of a comprehensive user study, carried out in northern Italy, of three focus groups conducted with a total of 30 caregivers in three different ALFs for persons with physical and cognitive disabilities

Commonly available activity tracker apps and wearables as a mental health outcome indicator: A prospective observational cohort study among young adults with psychological distress

© 2018 Elsevier BV. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (April 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policy.Background: Monitoring is integral to adequately recognise and track mental health indicators of symptoms and functioning. Early identification of warning signs from digital footprints could facilitate adaptive and dynamic just in-time monitoring and care for individuals with common mental disorders. Methods: Self-report data on mental health and lifestyle behaviour from 120 male and female Australian young adults experiencing psychological distress were collected online. API software was used to download participant‟s daily activity duration measurements over eight months from linked commercial activity tracker apps and wearables in real time. An independent samples t-test was conducted to compare the differences in daily durations of recorded physical activity between wearable devises and smartphone apps. Entropy techniques using R interpol package were used to analyse volatility in daily activity duration. Results: DASS-21 depression, stress and anxiety sub-scale scores indicated the study sample on average, had a moderate level of psychological distress. Daily activity duration was significantly greater from wearable devices when compared with smartphone apps (t-test = 25.4, p<0.001). Entropy indices were not related with any of the DASS-21 measures. However, significant correlation between DASS-21 anxiety subscale scores and entropy of those with over 45 days measurements (r = 0.58, p = 0.02) was observed. Limitations: The observational nature of this study prohibits causal inference. As a convenience sample was used, the results may lack generalisability to the wider population. Conclusions: Continuous monitoring using commercial apps and wearables as a resource to help clinicians augment clinical care for common mental disorders appears viable

Personal health systems for bipolar disorder anecdotes, challenges and lessons learnt from monarca project

Mayora O, Arnrich B, Bardram J, et al. Personal health systems for bipolar disorder anecdotes, challenges and lessons learnt from monarca project. In: 2013 7th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare and Workshops. 2013: 424--429

Accessible Human Computer Interaction: Video Games and Assisted Living for Persons with Severe Disabilities

Accessible Human Computer Interaction is a very wide area of study, which covers many topics and addresses several interesting problems; but there is a common goal that researchers of this field usually share: to use technology for improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities. In fact, this thesis stems from the will of helping persons with disabilities in different moments of their lives (i.e., during their childhood and in their adult age), by using different interactive technologies. In particular, this document explores two challenges: first, the problem that children with motor disabilities face as they cannot access dynamic video games as their normally developing peers do, leading them to reduced participation at leisure and playful educational activities, and finally to a potential social exclusion. The second challenge is faced by professional caregivers that work with adults motor and cognitively disabled, within assisted living facilities. Such caregivers need to effectively monitor the people under their care, as well as to be alerted of potentially hazardous situations that happen to these persons while they are alone. This thesis contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of persons with motor and cognitive disabilities, by supporting them in specific situations through different moments of their lives: in their childhood, by allowing them to play dynamic video games; and in their adulthood while they live and are cared by caregivers in assisted living facilities. Moreover, the research presented in this document constitutes a potentially valuable contribution to bring together the technical capabilities of engineers and HCI researchers, with the experience and knowledge of healthcare professionals that work daily with persons with disabilities

Horticulture, hypermasculinity and mental wellbeing: the connections in a male prison context

This thesis explores the interconnections between horticulture, hypermasculinity and mental wellbeing. It focusses on male prisoners and staff experiences of engaging with a North West horticulture programme called Greener on the Outside: For Prisons (GOOP) in a category B prison in North West England. The study forms part of a wider, regional programme aiming to tackle health inequalities amongst various population groups funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Masculinities and horticulture are both well-researched areas within prison settings in particular; therefore this thesis provides an original contribution to knowledge by combining the two themes and exploring the interconnections. The study was underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology and informed by symbolic interactionism and critical inquiry. In terms of methodology the research utilised a critical ethnographic approach using a range of qualitative data collection methods: active participant observation, guided conversations and individual in-depth interviews. Using a critical lens for the study allowed the research not only to explore ‘what is’ but also ‘what could be’ within the criminal justice system. The main period of data collection was conducted over a 17 week time frame, with a sample of 34 prisoners and seven members of staff. The critical ethnographic approach and combination of methods used generated rich data capturing the lived experiences, personal journeys and stories of those involved in GOOP – revealing findings based on complex meanings and interpretations. The findings contribute to knowledge and understanding of the importance of engaging in horticulture with particular reference to community, trust, green environments, biophilic design, experiencing hope and reducing hypermasculine behaviours through responsibilities, nurturing and the presence of females. With GOOP offering a small, community-like atmosphere within prison, this invoked trust, friendships and positive interactions between prisoners and staff. The hypermasculine norms so often prevalent in prisons were notably absent on GOOP, with connections made between caring for plants, healthily re-establishing the male role and interacting with females. The range of tasks available for GOOP prisoners offered opportunities for prisoners to develop personally and socially, a chance to improve their mental wellbeing with specific mental illnesses addressed. This research offers an original contribution to knowledge as it combines three highly researched concepts; hypermasculinity, horticulture and mental wellbeing with pertinent connections established through reductions in hypermasculine behaviour when interacting with nature. It highlights the potential for positive masculinities in prison, the creation of community through horticulture and, as a result, the enhancement in mental wellbeing. The recognition and reach of GOOP horticulture programmes is growing, with increasing interest in applying the programme in regions outside of the North West. This highlights the relevance and significance of the research findings and their potential to impact future policy and practice. Recommendations arising from the findings – for example, working outside in the fresh air, creating a small community and encouraging creativity – will be shared with relevant stakeholders within the GOOP network and wider prison system to ensure reach and enable the impact of the research is maximised