Language and Functional Capacity in patients with Depression and Psychosis/CALM Study

Summary

Speech and language production play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders. Speech and language impairments can have an influence over performance of activities of daily living and social interactions. Previous research has shown there is a relationship between speech patterns and mental health problems, and computerised methods of detecting these changes are being developed. Few studies have looked at the relationship between speech and severity of symptoms and level of functioning, especially over longer periods of time as symptoms and levels of functioning may change. This study aims to help fill these gaps in knowledge, by using current device technology to allow the assessments to be carried out over a longer period of time, away from the clinic.

Executive function (mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control) and cognitive control (the process by which goals or plans influence behaviour) are terms used to describe the cognitive processes which are vital for sustaining attention, monitoring information and selecting behaviours in order to attain a goal. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life.

Previous research has shown these processes are commonly impaired in people who have a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. To help better understand these impairments, this study will look at the differences and similarities in these processes in people with and without Psychosis or Major Depressive Disorder. To do this, we have developed a set of 16 online cognitive tasks which assess different cognitive processes. This study will add to data being collected in other studies, to help us to identify which of these tasks or combination of tasks could be used to measure the key aspects relevant to each disorder.

This 3-part study will be run over approximately 2 years. We will recruit 175 participants into part 1 (75 with major depressive disorder, 50 with schizophrenia and 50 age and gender matched healthy participants), who will complete some assessments at home using a tablet device over two days. 25 participants from each group (a total of 75) will be invited to the clinic for part 2 so that we can compare the at-home assessments to tests which are commonly used in clinical practice to assess the same abilities. Part 3 of the study involves participants completing 2 sets of at-home assessments at 2-week
intervals over a period of 8 months. We would like all participants who completed the first two parts of the study to take part and we will also invite some who have only completed part 1 so that we have a total 100 participants taking part (35 from each of the patient groups and 30 healthy controls participants).