According to the World Health Organization, approximately 300 million people around the world suffer from depression in one form or another.
 
It's a highly debilitating condition, and one that's frequently underestimated by non-victims. One organisation is trying to change that.
 
Paul Dagum is the founder and CEO of a startup based in Palo Alto, California, called Mindstrong Health. The physician, along with his two other doctor co-founders set up Mindstrong in an effort to help people with mental illnesses more easily deal with their condition using ever-present smartphones.
 
Mindstrong Health uses an app to monitor how its users operate their smartphones. From their patterns, like how they type, tap, and scroll, the app can gather cognitive and emotional data that can help point to signs of depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse.
 
The thing is, Mindstrong Health isn't trying to replace psychiatrists. Instead, they want their app to be something like an emotional support animal. For instance, imagine a psychiatrist is treating someone suffering from depression. Maybe they're getting along ok, with whatever combination of medication and therapy, but the doctor asks that they install the Mindstrong app on their phone.
 
Now, thanks to the data analysis in the app, it can figure out that the person's patterns are off and the signs point to a relapse into depression. This way, the app can notify the person's doctor of the situation so they can tackle it even before they have a breakdown. And the best part is that your privacy is safe, because all the data gathered from a user is processed solely by the neural network behind the technology.
 
It's in essence an early warning system for doctors with at-risk patients. While the patients themselves can use the app to notify their psychiatrist they're at a fragile point, it also automatically gets the doctor's attention even if the patient is unaware of the incoming mental break.
 
It's frankly one of the best ways so far to turn our technology addiction into something of real benefit. And all it requires is for you to keep using your phone.