Can Wearables Really Help With Mental Health? Use Cases, Data & Limitations
- Deblina Chattopadhyay
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
Wearables are emerging as promising tools in the realm of mental health care, but can they truly make a difference? They’re increasingly capable of detecting early warning signs like disrupted sleep, increased heart rate, or reduced physical activity, all of which may signal stress, anxiety, or depression. Some devices even offer real-time feedback, such as breathing prompts, which can help users manage symptoms in the moment. However, wearables are best seen as supportive tools, not diagnostic tools. Their effectiveness depends on data quality, user engagement, and integration with professional care.
Mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders, affect millions worldwide. According to the World Health Organisation, over 264 million people globally suffer from the impact of depression and anxiety disorders even more.¹ The stigma surrounding mental health, coupled with limited access to professional care, has driven the search for innovative solutions.
Since the beginning of this decade, the intersection of wearable technology and mental health care has been gaining interest from healthcare professionals, technology developers and everyday users. Wearables offer a discreet, accessible, and proactive approach to addressing these issues, empowering individuals to take charge of their mental well-being in ways previously unimaginable. Almost every wellness wearable promises its users real-time feedback and personalised health insights.
But to this date, the question looms - Will wearables be successful in helping with mental health care? Or are we buying into the pitfalls of trend and hype? In this blog, we explore the true capabilities of wellness wearables through real-world applications, data-backed effectiveness and limitations in the context of mental health.
The Promise of Wearables in Mental Health
Wearables are slowly becoming very common in the lives of many. Wearables are compact, sensor-laden devices worn on the body without hindering mobility, and have the capability of tracking physiological or behavioural data of a person throughout the day. Thus far, wearables have primarily focused on fitness, including tracking cardiovascular activity, counting steps or sleep monitoring. However, in the past few years, wearable technology has also been presented as a prospective tool for mental health care on account of:
Monitoring physiological markers linked with psychological states (e.g., heart rate variability, skin conductance, sleep quality).
Providing prompts for mindfulness, breathing, or other calming interventions.
Helping users self-monitor mood and activity in real-time.
Offering clinicians a richer, objective data stream for care personalisation.
How Do Wearables Monitor Mental Health?
Wearables track a range of physiological signals that, when analyzed together, can offer meaningful insights into a person’s mental health. These signals don’t diagnose conditions directly, but they provide patterns that correlate with emotional or psychological states. For example, variations in heart rate variability (HRV), elevated resting heart rate, disrupted sleep patterns, reduced physical activity, and changes in skin conductance or body temperature are all indicators that have been linked to stress, anxiety, depression, or burnout.
By continuously monitoring these parameters, wearables can help users - and in some cases, clinicians - detect early signs of mental health changes and intervene before symptoms escalate.
For instance, the following table outlines how different physiological parameters correlate with a person’s mental health condition.
Parameter | Linked mental health conditions |
Heart rate variability (HRV) | Stress, anxiety, depression, panic disorders |
Sleep quality | Stress, depression, bipolar disorder² |
Skin conductance/ Galvanic skin response (GSR) | Anxiety, acute stress |
Respiration rate | Acute anxiety, panic |
Some advanced wearable devices collect this data and combine it into composite indexes - such as “stress” or “mood - to provide users with prompts or notifications, either on the device itself or through companion apps. These may include reminders for relaxation, activity breaks, or personalized suggestions that could help improve their mental well-being.
Key Use Cases: Where Are Wearables Making a Difference?
1. Mood and Stress Tracking
Users can log their stress levels or mood on many wearable devices or their companion apps, and correlate these entries with corresponding physiological data. Based on metrics like HRV or galvanic skin response, some wearables also feature a “stress alert” function.
Over time, this recorded data can help users identify health patterns, such as elevated stress levels before or during exams, or dips in mood and attentiveness following poor sleep. Activity levels are also closely linked to mood; reductions in movement or prolonged sedentary behavior can act as early warning signs of depressive episodes.
2. Sleep Quality, Insomnia & Recovery
Sleep and mood are deeply connected. Disrupted sleep can fuel depression, and depression can disrupt sleep. The two feed each other - they share a bidirectional relationship. Wearables can:
Track sleep stages (REM, deep, light)
Detect disruptions and total sleep time
Provide feedback and interventions to optimise rest
Effective sleep tracking can improve mood and support the prevention or management of conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD by alerting users to potential risks or recommending therapeutic strategies.
3. Early Detection and Relapse Monitoring
One of the most promising applications of wearable technology is passive, continuous monitoring, which can alert users through early detection of:
Decreased activity and social withdrawal (indicative of depression relapse).
Altered sleep-wake cycles (associated with mania or depression).
Increased physiological arousal (signaling anxiety or the onset of a panic attack).
Biobehavioral “red flags” that may prompt outreach by a healthcare professional, such as sudden mood changes, social withdrawal, disrupted sleep, substance misuse, or expressions of self-harm. These warning signs may indicate underlying mental health concerns and highlight the need for timely intervention and support.
Early warning signs are especially critical in conditions where stigma or lack of awareness can delay treatment. For faster and more accurate diagnosis through remote health monitoring, wearable data should be integrated with electronic health records.
4. Augmentation of Therapy & Biofeedback
A new approach that is rapidly gaining popularity is the use of wearables in therapy:
Providing real-time biofeedback during cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Tracking physiological arousal during exposure therapy for phobias or PTSD.
Delivering guided mindfulness or breathing exercises when stress patterns are detected by the device.
This integration of wearable technology into therapeutic practices may enhance patient-therapist engagement and improve treatment adherence.
5. Supporting Telehealth and Remote Care
In the field of telemedicine, health data captured by wearables allows healthcare professionals to:
Objectively assess daily function, sleep and activity between sessions.
Personalise treatment with greater precision.
Monitor side effects or deterioration without requiring in-person visits.
Evidence: What Does the Data Say?
Recent studies and user reports provide a growing body of evidence around the role of wearables in monitoring and supporting mental health. Here's what the data reveals:
Detecting Depression and Anxiety with Wearables: Large-scale studies, some involving over 8,000 participants, have shown that commercial wellness wearables can help identify mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. When trained on physiological data from wearables, deep learning models demonstrated moderate predictive power, signaling a promising direction for early detection.³
Recognizing Patterns in Physiological Data: Key indicators such as reduced physical activity and disrupted sleep have emerged as strong predictors of elevated stress levels, anxiety, and depressive episodes. These patterns in wearable data are increasingly being explored for passive mental health monitoring.⁴
Real-Time Biofeedback for Stress Reduction: Wearables that monitor stress markers (e.g., elevated heart rate) can deliver real-time prompts, such as breathing exercises or mindfulness cues. These interventions have been shown to reduce perceived stress in the short term. However, evidence on sustained mental health outcomes over time remains limited, as the technology is still relatively new.⁵
Remote Monitoring in Clinical Settings: Some health platforms have successfully integrated wearable data into clinical workflows for chronic illness and mental health management. This enables timely interventions, helps patients adhere to recommended lifestyle changes, and allows healthcare providers to monitor progress remotely.⁶
Encouraging Self-Awareness and Behavior Change: Surveys and self-reported user experiences suggest that wearables enhance self-awareness, promote healthier lifestyle choices, and increase engagement in therapy. However, large-scale, long-term studies are still needed to confirm whether these changes translate into lasting mental health benefits.
Key Limitations and Challenges
1. Data Accuracy and Interpretation
Signal Noise: Some wearable devices, depending on their quality, can misinterpret non-physiological signals - such as movement, external temperature- as physiological responses like stress or excitement.
Not Diagnostic: Physiological patterns are often non-specific, which can make it difficult for device algorithms to accurately identify the root cause. For instance, elevated metrics might indicate excitement rather than anxiety.
Diversity and Equity: Factors such as skin tone, tattoos, body type, and certain chronic health conditions can significantly influence sensor accuracy and, in turn, affect the reliability of wellness predictions.
2. User Engagement and Adherence
Motivation Drop-Off: Many users stop wearing or engaging with their wearables after just a few weeks or months.
Practical Barriers: High initial cost, device complexity, technical issues and unintuitive interfaces can all hinder long-term adoption.
Aversion and Anxiety: For some individuals, continuous health monitoring may heighten anxiety or lead to obsessive symptom tracking, especially among those prone to health-related anxieties.
3. Privacy and Data Security
Sensitive Data Sharing: Studies have found that many top-rated mental health apps and wearable platforms share user data with third parties (e.g., for advertising) without clear user consent.
Regulatory Gaps: The regulatory framework for protecting mental health data collected by wearables is still developing. Oversight in digital health remains in flux and is expected to evolve further in the coming years.
Data Ownership: A lack of clarity around who owns, controls, or can access detailed and sensitive health data adds to the privacy and security risks.
4. Health Equity
Access Disparities: Upfront costs and limited technical literacy can exacerbate existing inequalities. Not all users have access to wearables or compatible smartphones.
Generalizability: Most studies to date have been conducted in high-income regions, with limited evidence from low- and middle-income countries or marginalized groups.
5. Clinical Integration
Data Overload: Clinicians are often overwhelmed by large volumes of patient-generated data, with limited guidance on how to interpret or prioritize these new data streams.
Therapeutic Relationship: Telehealth and remote monitoring may weaken the therapeutic alliance with some patients, potentially impacting treatment outcomes.
The Future of Wearables in Mental Health
The potential for wearables in mental health is vast, with ongoing advancements poised to enhance their impact:
1. Integration with AI
Artificial intelligence will enable wearables to deliver more sophisticated insights. Future devices could predict mental health episodes with greater accuracy or offer highly personalised interventions based on long-term data trends.
2. Multimodal Sensing
Next-generation wearables may combine multiple sensors (e.g., EEG, HRV, and galvanic skin response) to provide a more holistic view of mental health. This could improve the detection of complex conditions like PTSD or schizophrenia.
3. Virtual Therapy Integration
Wearables could sync with telehealth platforms, allowing therapists to access real-time data during sessions. This integration could streamline treatment and make therapy more data-driven.
The Orbyt smart ring by Sensio Enterprises is one such example — its ‘In-Loop’ feature allows users to grant wellness data access to trusted contacts.
4. Gamification and Engagement
To keep users motivated, wearables may incorporate more gamified elements, rewarding healthy behaviours like consistent sleep or stress management. This could make mental health maintenance more engaging, especially for younger users.
5. Wearables for Specific Populations
Future devices may be designed for underserved groups, such as children, the elderly, or individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Tailored wearables could address unique needs, such as sensory regulation in autism or cognitive support in dementia.
Practical Tips for Using Wearables for Mental Health
For those considering wearables to support mental health, here are some practical steps:
Choose the Right Device: Select a wearable that aligns with your needs. For stress management, HRV, biofeedback features, and sleep tracking, opt for robust wearable devices. Research reviews and consult healthcare providers if possible.
Set Realistic Goals: Use wearables to establish small, achievable habits, such as 30-minute walks or nightly relaxation exercises. Gradual changes are more sustainable and impactful for mental health.
Combine with Professional Support: Share wearable data with therapists or doctors to enhance treatment plans. Objective data can provide valuable context for discussions.
Protect Your Data: Review the privacy policies of wearable manufacturers and enable security features like two-factor authentication. Be cautious about sharing sensitive data with third-party apps.
Stay Consistent: Wear the device regularly to ensure accurate data collection. Consistency is key to identifying patterns and receiving meaningful insights.
Conclusion
Wearables are revolutionising mental health care by offering accessible, personalised, and proactive solutions. From monitoring physiological signals to delivering real-time interventions, these devices empower individuals to take control of their well-being.
While challenges like data privacy and accuracy remain, the future of wearables in mental health is bright, with advancements in AI, multimodal sensing, and integration with therapy poised to drive further innovation. By combining wearables with professional support and healthy lifestyle changes, individuals can harness technology to foster resilience, manage conditions, and improve their mental health in meaningful ways.
References
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