Are you at risk for depression? Some day soon, your doctor may be able to ask your smartphone for the answer to that important health question.

Compelling new research shows that our cellphones may be able to predict for us, with 87 percent accuracy, whether we are suffering from depression. A doctor analyzing results from sensors or apps in our cellphones that track our location, cellphone activity and circadian (sleep) rhythms may be able to tell whether you need help with a depressive disorder.

The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, began with a familiar online site, Craigslist. Scientists at Chicago’s Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine posted an ad on Craigslist to recruit 28 volunteers — eight men and 20 women, ranging in age from 19 to 58.

The study involved collecting phone usage data and GPS location information on each study participant, comparing it to a basic mental health questionnaire the participants had previously completed. It was the same basic mental health questionnaire you may have completed at your last physical.

In comparing the results of the questionnaire to the cellphone data, the cellphone sensors picked up depressive indicators that the questionnaires revealed 87 percent of the time. Although the study sampling was small, the accuracy rates were impressive to the researchers conducting the study, and revealed important data.

A cellphone, now in almost every human’s hand, purse or pocket, can detect behavioral changes if asked by a doctor to do so via sensor or app.

“We found that the more time people spend on their phones, the more likely they are to be depressed,” said David Mohr, one of the authors of the study and director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

A depressed person may experience changes in sleep cycles, loss of interest in normally satisfying activities, and a noticeable withdrawal from social interactions. A cellphone, now in almost every human’s hand, purse or pocket, can detect behavioral changes if asked by doctors to do so via sensor or app.

Irregular movement patterns are a strong indicator of depression, perhaps stronger than the amount of time a person spends on the phone, researchers say. For example, some people suffering from depression go to work or school at irregular times, while less depressed individuals are apt to stick to a strict routine.

A cellphone can record this data without disturbing the cellphone user, and the data can be evaluated by doctors from a remote location.

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This also potentially could be helpful in diagnosing depression in the younger generation.

Dartmouth College in New Hampshire used mobile phone sensors to track several aspects of students’ lives in its recent study, and found data from cellphones, including sleep patterns, sociability, and physical activity, correlated with risk of depression.

“I am definitely on my cellphone more when I’m down or sad or just frustrated,” said a 17-year-old high school student from Brooklyn, New York.

“I am definitely on my cellphone more when I’m down or sad or just frustrated,” a 17-year-old high school student from Brooklyn, New York, told LifeZette. “I’m probably playing an online game or watching videos.”

In the not-too-distant future, the smartphone may be as important as the stethoscope or blood test to help keep people healthy. The use of smartphone data in health care is termed mobile health, or mHealth, for short, and it’s already part of national health care systems in many European countries and Australia.

In “mobile telemedicine,” important information is transmitted to a health care provider without the office visit — such as taking a picture of a wound with your smartphone and sending it to your doctor to let him evaluate how it’s healing.

Some see this as yet another example of “do-it-yourself” living.

“Just like the grocery store, where you now bag your own items, soon your doctor won’t even need to see you to bill you,” said Thomas P., a 58-year-old business professional in Boston.

In mental health care, mHealth already has been used with patients by sending them daily questionnaires about their mood and daily activities, either through text messages or specialized smartphone apps.

The use of sensors and apps is a promising new avenue in mHealth in tracking depression risks and status.

Data that can be retrieved passively, without the patient having to use the phone to answer a questionnaire, or log on to a website when they are not feeling well, may more closely suit a patient’s mindset, and may yield more regular and accurate results.