A qualitative investigation of the Montgomery-Åsberg depression rating scale: discrepancies in rater perceptions and data trends in remote assessments of rapid-acting antidepressants in treatment resistant depression.

Introduction: Despite the development of many successful pharmaceutical interventions, a significant subset of patients experience treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine and its derivatives constitute a novel therapeutic approach to treat TRD; however, standard tools, such as the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) are still being used to measure symptoms and track changes.

Methods: The aim of this study was to review item-level differences between rate of data change (MADRS score) and rater-weighted perception of the most useful items for assessing change in symptoms while remotely conducting the 10-item version of the MADRS in TRD in a clinical trial of rapid-acting antidepressants.

Does social cognition training augment response to computer-assisted cognitive remediation for schizophrenia?

Objectives: Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) has shown significant improvement in cognition in schizophrenia. However, effect sizes of CRT have been reported to be modest raising the issue how to augment the effects of CRT on neurocognition and social cognition. Our aim was to examine whether the addition of computerized social cognition training would enhance the effects on neurocognition and social cognition as compared to CRT alone.

A Developmental History of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

Psychometric instruments are products of their time-Their designs and initial purposes are influenced and shaped by the contemporary treatment regimens, context, and cultural and conceptual biases of their developers. In this review article, the authors explore the history of the most influential schizophrenia research tools that have been created over the past several decades. The authors describe the scientific concepts, cultural influences, and challenges of past and present researchers as they strive to develop better assessment tools for schizophrenia.