Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Dipl.-Psych. Stefan Lüttke
Development of an automatic early warning system to prevent recurrent depressive episodes in children and adolescents
Major depression is one of the most common and severe mental disorder in childhood and adolescence. The majority of children suffers from recurrent depressive episodes or develops a chronic depression in adulthood. According to epidemiology studies, 70% of children relapse within five years. Therefore, we aim to prevent recurrent depressive episodes. To succeed, prevention must take place in everyday life of children and adolescents. At the same time, prevention must not strain, i.e. it should be “invisible” to the user. Smartphones and wearables such as fitness trackers are great opportunity to track early signs of a recurrent depression in everyday life.