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The untapped opportunity of mobile network data for mental health

Smartphone-based mobile health (mHealth) applications have been proposed to unobtrusively sense and analyze human behavior, to deliver medical/lifestyle feedback and to provide behavioral therapy. These mHealth apps enable continuous care extended to the daily life outside of clinical settings and help mitigate existing pressure placed on healthcare systems due partly to the aging of the population and the increased numbers of chronic disease patients. However, despite the enthusiasm brought by this mHealth approach, it faces important shortcomings that could limit its widespread adoption in practice. In this paper, we discuss the limitations of mHealth apps and propose how mobile network data could address these limitations and be exploited to monitor mental health conditions. We highlight both the opportunities and challenges that this kind of data presents for mental health.