Mood disorders affect more than 300 million people
worldwide and can cause devastating consequences. Elderly
people and patients with neurological conditions are particularly
susceptible to depression. Gait and body movements can be
affected by mood disorders, and thus they can be used as a
surrogate sign, as well as an objective index for pervasive
monitoring of emotion and mood disorders in daily life. Here we
review evidence that demonstrates the relationship between gait,
emotions and mood disorders, highlighting the potential of a
multimodal approach that couples gait data with physiological
signals and home-based monitoring for early detection and
management of mood disorders. This could enhance selfawareness, enable the development of objective biomarkers that
identify high risk subjects and promote subject-specific treatment.