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. 2023 Oct 4:25:e44502.
doi: 10.2196/44502.

Digital Phenotyping: Data-Driven Psychiatry to Redefine Mental Health

Antoine Oudin  1   2 , Redwan Maatoug  1   2 , Alexis Bourla  1   3   4   5 , Florian Ferreri  1   3 , Olivier Bonnot  6   7 , Bruno Millet  1   2 , Félix Schoeller  8   9 , Stéphane Mouchabac  1   3 , Vladimir Adrien  1   3
Affiliations

Digital Phenotyping: Data-Driven Psychiatry to Redefine Mental Health

Antoine Oudin et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

The term "digital phenotype" refers to the digital footprint left by patient-environment interactions. It has potential for both research and clinical applications but challenges our conception of health care by opposing 2 distinct approaches to medicine: one centered on illness with the aim of classifying and curing disease, and the other centered on patients, their personal distress, and their lived experiences. In the context of mental health and psychiatry, the potential benefits of digital phenotyping include creating new avenues for treatment and enabling patients to take control of their own well-being. However, this comes at the cost of sacrificing the fundamental human element of psychotherapy, which is crucial to addressing patients' distress. In this viewpoint paper, we discuss the advances rendered possible by digital phenotyping and highlight the risk that this technology may pose by partially excluding health care professionals from the diagnosis and therapeutic process, thereby foregoing an essential dimension of care. We conclude by setting out concrete recommendations on how to improve current digital phenotyping technology so that it can be harnessed to redefine mental health by empowering patients without alienating them.

Keywords: digital phenotype; empowerment; mental health; personalized medicine; psychiatry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: FS is partially funded by Joy Ventures and Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. In the past years, FS founded and received compensation from BeSound SAS and Nested Minds LLC. SM has received speaker and consultant fees from Ethypharm, Bioserenity, and Angelini Pharma.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of digital phenotyping.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual illustration of the links created by the introduction of digital phenotyping into the health care relationship.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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