Transitions In Depression

THE RESEARCH

The aim of the TRANS-ID project (TRANSitions In Depression) is to discover personalised signals that may indicate critical transitions in psychological symptoms. We will investigate within single individuals which early warning signals precede symptom change and thereby examine whether psychological symptoms behave according to the principles of complex dynamical systems.

To gain insight into this, we use a diary approach (also known as the experience sampling method) to capture the micro-level changes of symptoms, emotions, behaviours and daily context over time. In addition, we collect measurements of movement and heart rate using high-tech, user-friendly sensors.

The project is divided into three sub-projects:

• TRANS-ID TAPERING

  This project investigates what kind of changes occur during the tapering of antidepressant medication, and whether early warning signals precede the moment that depressive symptoms increase. We are recruiting from a population of people who previously experienced depressive symptoms, and who wish to taper their antidepressants.

• TRANS-ID RECOVERY

  This project investigates whether we can anticipate the moment individuals begin to recover from depressive symptoms. We are recruiting from a population of people who are currently experiencing depressive symptoms and are going to follow psychological treatment.

• TRANS-ID TRAILS

  In this project, we aim to find out whether we can anticipate what kind of changes young adults with an increased risk for psychopathology experience in terms of mental health problems. We investigate this in a population of young adults because early adulthood is a critical life period during which many changes occur that may influence the development of mental health issues.

PUBLICATIONS

Below you will find the three most recent Trans-ID publications.

George, S. V., Kunkels, Y. K., Booij, S., & Wichers, M. (2021). Uncovering complexity details in actigraphy patterns to differentiate the depressed from the non-depressed. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-11. 10.1038/s41598-021-92890-w. [Full Text]

Helmich, M. A., Wichers, M., Olthof, M., Strunk, G., Aas, B., Aichhorn, W., Schiepek, G. Snippe, E. (2020). Sudden gains in day-to-day change: Revealing nonlinear patterns of individual improvement in depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(2), 119–127. 10.1037/ccp0000469. [Full text]

Schreuder, M.J., Groen, R.N., Wigman, J.T.W., Hartman, C.A., Wichers, M. (2020). Measuring psychopathology as it unfolds in daily life: addressing key assumptions of intensive longitudinal methods in the TRAILS TRANS-ID study. BMC Psychiatry, 20(351), 1-14. 10.1186/s12888-020-02674-1. [Full text]

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