Business intelligence specialists in Australia are examining how to mine patient data and clinician notes in search of better ways to diagnose and treat depression, a condition not linked to specific biological causes.

"We are noticing a spread of a depression epidemic throughout the whole world," say researchers from the Digital Ecosystems and Business Intelligence Institute at Curtin University of Technology, in Perth, Australia, Science Daily reports. "Usually, an epidemic, such as a swine flu...has a pathogen associated with it. But, there is no pathogen involved with the depression epidemic."

The research team has developed a system to integrate three types of patient data with information describing the mental health of therapists and their interaction with patients. "The data describing patients' activities, bodily functions and feelings, as well as the data describing mental health of therapists will be collected and collectively mined to reveal interesting patterns," they say.

"Patients will be able to receive highly personalized treatments, the therapists will be assisted in making evidence-based decisions and the scientist will be able to pursue new knowledge revealing true causes of depression whilst developing more effective treatment approaches," the researchers add, according to International Business Times. They also expect to discover new means of preventing depression.

Their findings appear in the latest edition of the International Journal of Functional Informatics and Personalised Medicine.

For further information:
- read this Science Daily article
- check out this International Business Times story
- here's the study's abstract

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