How can we improve clinicians' assessments of depression in patients?

To treat depression effectively, it is essential to accurately assess the severity of the condition. Is the affected person often feeling down? Do they have trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, or a lack motivation? Do they have suicidal thoughts? The answers to these and other questions allow healthcare providers to assess the severity of the depression – and whether an ongoing treatment is effective.

However, it is not easy to objectively assess depressive symptoms through interviews alone. This is because people with depression tend to have fewer positive expectations and often have negatively biased expectations. As a result, they frequently underestimate the success of their own therapy when directly asked about it. Therefore, third-party assessment measures such as the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) are of great importance, as they allow for a more objective assessment of how depressive symptoms are progressing.

Video-based training programs can structure and optimize third-party ratings

Our new affiliated project, AF01, aims to improve these assessments in the context of clinical trials as well as in routine care. To this end, we are investigating innovative approaches to optimizing third-party ratings using instruments such as the HDRS. A particular focus is on the development and evaluation of a novel, video-based training method that enables targeted training for professionals from various areas of care.

Our study includes clinical experts in medicine and psychology from both psychiatric hospitals and psychotherapy centers. We involve professionals who work with various age groups – from children and teenagers to adult patients. Through a broad range of methodological approaches and personnel at our sites in Essen and Marburg, we ensure that the findings are as generally generalizable as possible and remain applicable in various clinical contexts.