Playing a quick apple-picking video game can help doctors quickly identify patients with depression, a new study says.
The game can reliably detect depression in as little as three minutes, researchers reported May 18 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
People who quit the game earlier than others were more likely to have anhedonia, a feature of major depressive disorder (MDD) that leads individuals to lose the ability to enjoy normally pleasurable things, researchers said.
Folks previously diagnosed with depression by standard tests stopped enjoying the game’s activities 50 percent sooner than those without depression, the study found.
“Our behavioral game gives us clues to what is happening in the brains of patients with depression, which we hope will let us identify them as reliably as finding heart disease by taking someone’s blood pressure,” co-senior researcher Paul Glimcher said in a news release. He’s chair of neuroscience and director of the Institute for Translational Neuroscience at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.
The game involves collecting apples falling from digital trees. As the players forage, each tree starts yielding fewer apples for every round of harvesting.
Researchers tracked how soon game players – 50 with depression and 70 without – would give up on a tree and move to the next one.
On average, those without depression stuck with a tree until the yield dropped to five.
But those with MDD left a tree much earlier, depending on the severity of their depression. Usually, they gave up on a tree when the yield dropped to eight or nine apples.
“Patients with depression do not seem to be able to adapt their expectations normally as conditions change, which gives us a hint about what is wrong mechanistically in their brains,” said co-lead researcher Aadith Vittala, a medical and doctoral student in Glimcher’s lab at NYU.
These results also might help doctors parse between different types of depression that could be affecting individual patients, researchers added.
“Depression is increasingly thought of as an umbrella term that may include several distinct conditions,” said co-senior author Dr. Dan Iosifescu, a professor of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“Measuring reference points may help us identify a specific subtype of depression linked to anhedonia, clarify its disease-causing brain computations and tailor treatments,” he said in the release. “And we may be able to do this remotely by asking patients, rather than traveling repeatedly for in-person visits, to spend a few minutes per week playing a smartphone game that lets us quickly adjust their treatment.”
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Research shows that Black Americans have lower rates of major depression than white people, but are less likely to receive effective treatment. Their symptoms may be overlooked, minimized, or mistaken for stress, burnout, or “just pushing through.” Additionally, historical mistrust of healthcare systems and cultural stigma surrounding mental health in Black communities can delay seeking professional help.
For communities where depression is undertreated, tools that help identify concerns earlier could help connect people to care before symptoms worsen.
Many people face barriers to mental healthcare services due to a shortage of mental health professionals or insurance limitations. A brief, game-based screening tool could eventually be used remotely to screen people for mental health conditions. A potential benefit of this screening method is that it may feel less intimidating than traditional questionnaires for some people. However, researchers stress that it is not a replacement for a mental health professional. A video game may serve as a first step — helping identify who may benefit from a fuller evaluation.
Untreated depression can affect sleep, relationships, work/school performance, and physical well-being. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression is linked to a higher risk of chronic disease complications, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, pain, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Earlier identification of depression can lead to earlier support, therapy, medication, lifestyle interventions, or community resources. Remember, seeking help is a sign of taking care of your health — not weakness.
Early warning signs of depression can include the following:
If these symptoms persist for more than two weeks, speak with your healthcare provider or a mental health professional.
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Researchers are still working to understand how video games might be an effective screening tool for depression. In future research, more diverse populations should be included to assess how the tool performs across different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The researchers hope that the technology could eventually help monitor symptoms over time and personalize treatment decisions.
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on anhedonia.
SOURCE: NYU Langone Health, news release, May 19, 2026
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