The effect of positive mental imagery versus positive verbal thoughts on anhedonia.

Anhedonia, the loss of interest in and pleasure from previously enjoyable activities is a core symptom of depression and presents a major challenge to treatments. Interventions involving positive mental imagery generation have been suggested to reduce anhedonia. However, it is not clear whether the imagery component of such interventions is crucial for these effects.

Project Soothe: A pilot study evaluating the mood effects of soothing images collected using a citizen science approach.

Background: Mentally-generated soothing imagery is a therapeutic technique to support mental wellbeing, but some individuals may require support using externally presented stimuli. Project Soothe was launched to collect soothing images using a citizen science approach. This online pilot study evaluated the first 575 soothing images collected, examining: 1) if the images were perceived to be soothing; 2) if viewing the images had a positive impact on mood; and 3) if mood effects were influenced by individual differences in age, gender and depressive symptoms.

Investigating the role of mental imagery use in the assessment of anhedonia.

Anhedonia, or a deficit in the liking, wanting, and seeking of rewards, is typically assessed via self-reported "in-the-moment" emotional and motivational responses to reward stimuli and activities. Given that mental imagery is known to evoke emotion and motivational responses, we conducted two studies to investigate the relationship between mental imagery use and self-reported anhedonia. Using a novel Reward Response Scale (adapted from the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale, DARS; Rizvi et al.

Inducing positive involuntary mental imagery in daily life using personalized photograph stimuli.

Most people experience positive involuntary mental imagery (IMI) frequently in daily life; however, evidence for the importance and effects of positive IMI is largely indirect. The current study adapted a paradigm to experimentally induce positive IMI in participants' daily lives. This could in turn provide a means to directly test positive IMI's effects.

Average treatment effects on binary outcomes with stochastic covariates.

When evaluating the effect of psychological treatments on a dichotomous outcome variable in a randomized controlled trial (RCT), covariate adjustment using logistic regression models is often applied. In the presence of covariates, average marginal effects (AMEs) are often preferred over odds ratios, as AMEs yield a clearer substantive and causal interpretation. However, standard error computation of AMEs neglects sampling-based uncertainty (i.

Using the 'Leapfrog' Design as a Simple Form of Adaptive Platform Trial to Develop, Test, and Implement Treatment Personalization Methods in Routine Practice.

The route for the development, evaluation and dissemination of personalized psychological therapies is complex and challenging. In particular, the large sample sizes needed to provide adequately powered trials of newly-developed personalization approaches means that the traditional treatment development route is extremely inefficient. This paper outlines the promise of adaptive platform trials (APT) embedded within routine practice as a method to streamline development and testing of personalized psychological therapies, and close the gap to implementation in real-world settings.

Positive mental imagery and mental health amongst university students in Pakistan.

Mental health problems amongst university students pose a major public health challenge, and this is particularly the case in Pakistan. Alongside broader societal and cultural pressures, cognitive factors likely also play a role in the development of and resilience to mental health problems and may provide a feasible target for interventions. The current study built on previous research in primarily European samples investigating the relationship between one cognitive factor, positive future-oriented mental imagery, and mental health, extending this to a sample of university students in Pakistan (N = 1838).

Combining antidepressants and attention bias modification in primary health care (DEPTREAT): Protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent psychiatric condition associated with significant disability, mortality and economic burden. A large proportion of MDD patients are treated in primary health care in the local community. Attentional Bias Modification (ABM) training in combination with antidepressants could be an effective treatment.

Effects of Training Body-Related Interpretations on Panic-Related Cognitions and Symptoms.

Background: Interpretation biases (IBs) are central in panic disorder, and there is rich evidence showing that these are correlated with and predictive of panic-relevant symptomatology. However, experimental studies are needed to examine the potential causal effects of IBs, as predicted by cognitive models.

Methods: Panic-related IBs were manipulated via a sentence-completion Cognitive Bias Modification-Interpretation (CBM-I) training.

Demonstration of a 'leapfrog' randomized controlled trial as a method to accelerate the development and optimization of psychological interventions.

Background: The scale of the global mental health burden indicates the inadequacy not only of current treatment options, but also the pace of the standard treatment development process. The 'leapfrog' trial design is a newly-developed simple Bayesian adaptive trial design with potential to accelerate treatment development. A first leapfrog trial was conducted to provide a demonstration and test feasibility, applying the method to a low-intensity internet-delivered intervention targeting anhedonia.

Scrambled but valid? The scrambled sentences task as a measure of interpretation biases in psychopathology: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The Scrambled Sentences Task (SST) is frequently used to assess interpretation biases (IBs). However, neither the range of its applications nor the quality of the empirical evidence it provides has been systematically examined. This systematic review investigates the types of samples and disorders in which the SST has been applied and evaluates its psychometric properties via a meta-analysis.

A feasibility randomised controlled trial of a brief early intervention for adolescent depression that targets emotional mental images and memory specificity (IMAGINE).

Brief, evidence-based interventions for adolescent depression are urgently required, particularly for school-settings. Cognitive mechanisms research suggests dysfunctional mental imagery and overgeneral memory could be promising targets to improve mood. This feasibility randomised controlled trial with parallel symptomatic groups (n = 56) compared a novel imagery-based cognitive behavioural intervention (ICBI) to non-directive supportive therapy (NDST) in school settings.

Genes in treatment: Polygenic risk scores for different psychopathologies, neuroticism, educational attainment and IQ and the outcome of two different exposure-based fear treatments.

Objectives: Evidence for a genetic influence on psychological treatment outcome so far has been inconsistent, likely due to the focus on candidate genes and the heterogeneity of the disorders treated. Using polygenic risk scores (PRS) in homogenous patient samples may increase the chance of detecting genetic influences.

Methods: A sample of 342 phobic patients treated either for clinically relevant dental fear ( = 189) or other (mixed) phobic fears ( = 153) underwent highly standardised exposure-based CBT.

Using Three Indirect Measures to Assess the Role of Sexuality-Related Associations and Interpretations for Women's Sexual Desire: An Internet-Based Experimental Study.

Theoretical models emphasize the role of both automatic appraisals (i.e., associations) and conscious appraisals (i.

Intranasal oxytocin increases state anhedonia following imagery training of positive social outcomes in individuals lower in extraversion, trust-altruism, and openness to experience.

Psychological disorders such as major depressive disorder are characterised by interpersonal difficulties and anhedonia. A cognitive mechanism proposed to contribute to the maintenance of these problems is a diminished ability to generate positive mental imagery, especially regarding social interactions. The current study examined whether the effects of social imagery training on social activity and anhedonia could be enhanced with the addition of intranasal oxytocin, and whether these effects might be augmented in persons with a high propensity to engage socially (i.

The Effects of Modifying Dysfunctional Appraisals in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using a Form of Cognitive Bias Modification: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial in an Inpatient Setting.

Introduction: Dysfunctional appraisals about traumatic events and their sequelae are a key mechanism in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Experimental studies have shown that a computerized cognitive training, cognitive bias modification for appraisals (CBM-APP), can modify dysfunctional appraisals and reduce analogue trauma symptoms amongst healthy and subclinical volunteers.

Objective: We aimed to test whether CBM-APP could reduce dysfunctional appraisals related to trauma reactions in PTSD patients, and whether this would lead to improvements in PTSD symptoms.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy at the Crossroads.

The early development of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can be characterized by the coming together of behavioral and cognitive traditions. However, the past decades have arguably seen more divergences than convergences within the field. The 9 World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies was held in Berlin in July 2019 with the congress theme "CBT at the Crossroads.

Inducing positive involuntary mental imagery in everyday life: an experimental investigation.

Positive involuntary mental imagery occurs frequently in daily life but evidence as to its functions and importance is largely indirect. The current study investigated a method to induce positive involuntary imagery in daily life, which would allow direct testing of its impact. An unselected student sample (= 80) completed a single session of a positive imagery cognitive bias modification (CBM) paradigm, which involved listening to and imagining brief positive imagery scripts.

Targeting intrusive imagery using a competing task technique: a case study.

Background: Even in cases with complexity, simple techniques can be useful to target a specific symptom. Intrusive mental images are highly disruptive, drive emotion, and contribute to maintaining psychopathology. Cognitive science suggests that we might target intrusive images using competing tasks.

Psychometric properties of the German version of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) in clinical routine settings: study design and protocol of a multitrait-multimethod study.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnostic accuracy, psychometric properties and clinical utility of the German version of the Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) (CAPS-5) in routine clinical settings.

Methods And Analysis: This study is a non-interventional, multitrait-multimethod design, multicentre study that will be carried out at German civil and military inpatient and outpatient clinics. A total sample size of n=219 participants who have experienced at least one traumatic event according to criteria as defined in the DSM-5 will be recruited.

Effect of an upright (vs. stooped) posture on interpretation bias, imagery, and emotions.

Background And Objectives: Adopting an upright (vs. stooped) posture has been related to positive effects on emotional and cognitive processes. However, there is no evidence concerning the effect of posture on two key processes associated with the maintenance of depression: interpretation bias and vividness of mental imagery.