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. 2024 Jan 15:5:14-20.
doi: 10.1109/OJEMB.2024.3354208. eCollection 2024.

Expecting the Unexpected: Predicting Panic Attacks From Mood, Twitter, and Apple Watch Data

Ellen W McGinnis  1 , Bryn Loftness  2 , Shania Lunna  2 , Isabel Berman  2 , Skylar Bagdon  2 , Genevieve Lewis  2 , Michael Arnold  3 , Christopher M Danforth  3 , Peter S Dodds  3 , Matthew Price  4 , William E Copeland  2 , Ryan S McGinnis  1
Affiliations

Expecting the Unexpected: Predicting Panic Attacks From Mood, Twitter, and Apple Watch Data

Ellen W McGinnis et al. IEEE Open J Eng Med Biol. .

Abstract

Objective: Panic attacks are an impairing mental health problem that affects 11% of adults every year. Current criteria describe them as occurring without warning, despite evidence suggesting individuals can often identify attack triggers. We aimed to prospectively explore qualitative and quantitative factors associated with the onset of panic attacks.

Results: Of 87 participants, 95% retrospectively identified a trigger for their panic attacks. Worse individually reported mood and state-level mood, as indicated by Twitter ratings, were related to greater likelihood of next-day panic attack. In a subsample of participants who uploaded their wearable sensor data (n = 32), louder ambient noise and higher resting heart rate were related to greater likelihood of next-day panic attack.

Conclusions: These promising results suggest that individuals who experience panic attacks may be able to anticipate their next attack which could be used to inform future prevention and intervention efforts.

Keywords: Panic attacks; apple watch; mental health; twitter; wearables.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Next-day panic by binned individual behaviors and hedonometer.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Larger deviations in RHR above and below the mean are associated with higher likelihood of a panic attack the next day (left, top). As seen in the case study of an example subject (left, bottom), deviations of 3, 4 and 5 beats per minute (BPM) correspond to subsequent days where a panic attack was experienced. Higher ambient noise is associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing a panic attack the next day (right, top). As seen in the case study of an example subject (right, bottom), ambient noise above 65 dB corresponds to subsequent days where a panic attack was experienced. Error bars represent standard error.
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