Wearables in Schizophrenia: Update on Current and Future Clinical Applications (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED Schizophrenia affects 1% of the world population and is associated with a reduction in life expectancy of 20 years. The increasing prevalence of both consumer and clinical-grade wearable technology offers new metrics to guide clinical decision-making remotely and in real-time. Herein, the recent literature on wearables is reviewed for potential clinical utility in schizophrenia, including diagnosis and first episode psychosis, relapse prevention, and patient acceptability. Several studies have further confirmed the validity of various devices in their ability to track sleep, an especially useful metric in schizophrenia as sleep disturbances may be predictive of disease onset or an acute worsening of psychotic symptoms. Through machine learning, wearable-obtained heart rate and motor activity was able to differentiate between controls and schizophrenia patients. Wearables can capture the autonomic dysregulation that has been detected when patients are actively experiencing paranoia, hallucinations, or delusions. Multiple platforms are currently being researched such as Health Outcomes through Positive Engagement and Self-Empowerment (HOPES), Mobile Therapeutic Attention for Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia (m-RESIST), and Sleepsight that may ultimately link patient data to clinicians. The future is bright for wearables in schizophrenia, as the recent literature exemplifies their potential to offer real-time insights to guide diagnosis and management.