Research

With our AQUA study on medical information concerning antidepressant discontinuation, we want to ask practitioners about their experiences with discontinuing antidepressants in their everyday practice. Besides experiences, we are also interested in their expectations regarding discontinuation and possible influencing factors. The objective is to contribute to improved communication between patient and practitioner in order to facilitate effective and safe discontinuation in the long term. 
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Dr. Claire Warren via [email protected].

With our ELA study we aim to investigate reasons for long-term intake of antidepressant medication. We are interested in expectations regarding discontinuation of antidepressant medication and potential influencing factors. We hope that the results of our ELA will contribute to the development of an intervention program that supports patients in the process of discontinuing their antidepressant medication.

Please contact Carina Meißner, M.Sc. Psych., via [email protected] for further details.

In our FAB-study we investigate potential side effects and mediating factors after discontinuation of antidepressants. In this study, patients discontinue their antidepressants within a reasonable period of time supported by individualized discontinuation plans and intensive medical supervision. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of patients’ experiences and to uncover factors that potentially facilitate the discontinuation process.

Please contact Amke Müller, M.Sc. Cogn. Neuroscience, via [email protected] for further details.

We would like to investigate with the “Good to know!” study, what information patients need before starting ambulant psychotherapy to optimally prepare them for the therapy. In order to achieve the best possible treatment results, ambulant psychotherapy is often recommended at the end of stationary treatment. Therefore, we have prepared two different ways to inform about ambulant psychotherapy. We would like to investigate which of the two types of education leads to more helpful assessments of an upcoming psychotherapy.

Please contact Leonie Gerke & Sönke Ladwig, M.Sc. Psych., via [email protected] for further details.

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Please contact Leonie Gerke, M.Sc. Psych., via [email protected] for further details.

In this study, we would like to examine the social interaction in psychotherapeutic educational conversations. The interaction between therapist and patient has an important influence on the course of a psychotherapy. At the same time, the education of patients is crucial for an informed and independent decision for psychotherapeutic treatment. The aim of the INDAPT study is to assess the attitudes towards psychotherapy and the social interaction dynamics in educational conversations about psychotherapy with different conversational partners. For this purpose, informational conversations on psychotherapy will be conducted via video call either by a study psychologist or by an avatar (a virtual and artificial embodiment of a person). The INDAPT study is conducted in close cooperation with the University of Hamburg.

If you are interested or have any questions, please feel free to email Leslie-Maryse Melchiors, M.Sc. Psych., at [email protected].

Even though patients’ expectations are considered both as predisposing and as maintaining factors for somatic symptom disorder (SSD), however, the role of expectations for somatic symptoms and their interaction with further contributing factors have not been studied yet. Therefore, this prospective cohort study aims to investigate multivariate prediction models for somatic symptom persistence in patients with SSD over the course of one year. In addition, potential effects of expectations on daily symptom fluctuations will be analyzed by embedding a 10-day ecological momentary assessment. The in-depth analyses will render clinically relevant conclusions regarding future targeted treatment options.

Further details and contact information can be found at: UKE – Forschungsgruppe FOR 5211 – SOMACROSS – Einflussfaktoren persistierende Körperbeschwerden

Patients with depression often experience distressing emotional and physical side effects while discontinuing their antidepressant medication. These side effects are not only influenced by the pharmacological effects of changing medication dosage, but also various psychological factors. The PHEA study will use a placebo-controlled design to support patients who either continue or discontinue their regular antidepressant medication. In doing so, we hope to disentangle the influences of pharmacological and psychological effects on the withdrawal process during antidepressant discontinuation, which can hopefully lead to improved clinical support for patients.

Further details and contact information can be found at: http://phea-studie.de/.

The ROXWELL-study (“The Role Of eXpectations on complaints and WELL-being after endometriosis laparoscopy” – die ROXWELL-Studie) investigates the role of preoperative (treatment-) expectations on complaints and well-being after surgery of patients with endometriosis. Patients’ complaints after the operative removal (laparoscopy) are heterogeneous. Although laparoscopy is well known as the gold standard for treating endometriosis, 20-30% of treated women still show persistent complaints following successful laparoscopy and the absence of a recurrence of endometriosis. Therefore we intend to explore psychological factors, expectations respectively as potential moderators for treatment outcomes. Gaining more information about the role of patients’ (treatment) expectations, we aim to further improve the treatment of patients with endometriosis. The study refers to women with a) endometriosis-complaints or b) unfulfilled desire to have children + endometriosis-complaints. 

Further details and contact information can also be found at: ROXWELL-Studie – Klinische Psychologie (hsu-hh.de).

With the WINEP study “Knowledge about Negative Effects of Psychotherapy” we would like to investigate how much knowledge psychotherapists and candidates in training/continuing education have about negative effects of psychotherapy, their classification and handling, and whether this knowledge differs depending on socio-demographic variables, professional experience, the applied therapy method, and the educational path. In addition, we would like to test whether knowledge about negative effects of psychotherapy can be increased by an online training course developed for this purpose.

Please contact Sönke Ladwig, M.Sc. Psych., via [email protected] for further details.

The “Inventory for the balanced assessment of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy” (INEP; Ladwig et al., 2014) assesses negative effects of psychotherapy from a patient’s point of view. You can find the complete information and documents for download here.