Daily dynamics of negative affect: indicators of rate of response to treatment and remission from depression?

More instability (MSSD) and variability (SD) of negative affect (NA) have been related to current and future depressive symptoms. We investigated whether NA instability and variability were predictive of the rate of symptom improvement during treatment and of reaching remission status. Forty-six individuals with major depressive disorder completed six days of ecological momentary assessments (10 beeps/day) before starting a combination of pharmacotherapy and supportive therapy. During and after treatment, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) diagnostic interview was performed monthly for 18 months. The rate of change in HDRS scores over five months (during treatment) and remission status (HDRS ≤ 7) over eighteen months were predicted by the SD, MSSD and Mean of NA, and relevant baseline predictors. Higher Mean NA and baseline symptom severity, but not NA variability or instability, predicted stronger depressive symptom reduction during treatment. Higher odds of remitting were only associated with lower Mean NA. Higher mean NA may indicate more room for improvement and thus for a steeper rate of symptom change, while lower mean NA levels may imply that remission status is more readily reached. To resolve the inconclusive findings for instability and variability as predictors of symptom improvement replication in larger samples is required.

The Duration-Adjusted Reliable Change Index: Defining Clinically Relevant Symptom Changes of Varying Durations.

The time period over which relevant symptoms shifts unfold is not uniform across individuals. This article proposes an adaptation of the Reliable Change Index (RCI) to detect symptom changes of varying durations in individual patients' time series: the Duration-Adjusted RCI (DARCI). The DARCI proportionally raises the RCI cut-off to account for its extension over additional time increments, resulting in different DARCI thresholds for different change durations. The method is illustrated with a simulation study of depressive symptom time series with varying degrees of discontinuity and overall mean change, and four empirical case examples from two clinical samples. The results suggest that the DARCI may be particularly useful for identifying symptom shifts that appear relatively abrupt, which can help indicate when a patient is showing significant improvement or deterioration. Its ease of use makes it suitable for application in clinical contexts and a promising method for exploring transitions in psychiatric populations.

The temporal order of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral gains in daily life during treatment of depression.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the importance for understanding mechanisms of change, little is known about the order of change in daily life emotions, cognitions, and behaviors during treatment of depression. This study examined the within-person temporal order of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral improvements using ecological momentary assessment data. METHOD: Thirty-two individuals with diagnosed depression completed ecological momentary assessment questions on emotions (sad mood, happy mood), behaviors (social interaction, number of activities), and cognitive variables (worrying, negative self-thoughts) 5 times a day during a 4-month period in which they underwent psychotherapy for depression. Nonparametric change-point analyses were used to determine the timing of gains (i.e., improvements in the mean of each variable) for each individual. We then established whether the first (i.e., earliest) gains in emotions preceded, followed, or occurred in the same week as cognitive and behavioral gains for each individual. RESULTS: Contrary to our hypotheses, first gains in behaviors did not precede first emotional gains (3 times, 8%) more often than they followed them (26 times, 70%). Cognitive gains often occurred in the same week as first emotional gains (43 times, 58%) and less often preceded (13 times, 18%) or followed emotional gains (18 times, 24%). CONCLUSION: The first improvements in behaviors did not tend to precede the first improvements in emotions likely because fewer behavioral gains were found. The finding that cognitive variables tend to improve around the same time as sad mood may explain why many studies failed to find that cognitive change predicts later change in depressive symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Early warning signals and critical transitions in psychopathology: challenges and recommendations.

Empirical evidence is mounting that monitoring momentary experiences for the presence of early warning signals (EWS) may allow for personalized predictions of meaningful symptom shifts in psychopathology. Studies aiming to detect EWS require intensive longitudinal measurement designs that center on individuals undergoing change. We recommend that researchers (1) define criteria for relevant symptom shifts a priori to allow specific hypothesis testing, (2) balance the observation period length and high-frequency measurements with participant burden by testing ambitious designs with pilot studies, and (3) choose variables that are meaningful to their patient group and facilitate replication by others. Thoroughly considered designs are necessary to assess the promise of EWS as a clinical tool to detect, prevent, or encourage impending symptom changes in psychopathology.

Sudden gains in day-to-day change: Revealing nonlinear patterns of individual improvement in depression.

OBJECTIVE: We examined individual overall trajectories of change and the occurrence of sudden gains in daily self-rated problem severity and the relation of these patterns to treatment response. METHOD: Mood disorder patients (N = 329, mean age = 44, 55% women) completed daily self-ratings about the severity of their complaints as a standard part of treatment, using the Therapy Process Questionnaire (TPQ). Per individual, the best-fitting defined (linear, log-linear, 1-step) trajectory was tested for significance: for change over time, and for specificity of the best-fitting trajectory. Two-hundred and three cases had ICD-10 Symptom Rating (ISR) depression scores posttreatment: a score ≤1 identified 114 treatment responders. Relation to response was examined for sudden gains and type of change trajectory. RESULTS: 138 cases (42%) had a significant decrease in problem severity, of which 54 cases (16%) had a defined trajectory: 50 cases with one-step improvement, and 4 with a linear improvement in daily problem severity. Sudden gains occurred in 28% of the total sample, and within 58% of improvement patterns. Specifically, sudden gains occurred in 68% of significant 1-step trajectories and 25% of the linear cases. Sudden gains and nonspecific change trajectories were significantly more frequent for treatment responders. CONCLUSIONS: At the day-level, patterns of improvement are nonlinear for most patients. Sudden gains occur within various forms of overall change and are associated with treatment response. Clinically relevant improvements in depression occur both gradually and abruptly, and this finding allows for the possibility that the remission process functions according to dynamical systems principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).