Study protocol TransTAM: Transdiagnostic research into emotional disorders and cognitive-behavioral therapy of the adaptive mind.

Background: Emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders share substantial similarities in their etiology and treatment. In recent decades, these commonalities have been increasingly recognized in classification systems and treatment programs crossing diagnostic boundaries.

Methods: To examine the prospective effects of different transdiagnostic markers on relevant treatment outcomes, we plan to track a minimum of N = 200 patients with emotional disorders during their routine course of cognitive behavioral therapy at two German outpatient clinics. We will collect a wide range of transdiagnostic markers, ranging from basic perceptual processes and self-report measures to complex behavioral and neurobiological indicators, before entering therapy. Symptoms and psychopathological processes will be recorded before entering therapy, between the 20th and 24th therapy session, and at the end of therapy.

Discussion: Our results could help to identify transdiagnostic markers with high predictive power, but also provide deeper insights into which patient groups with which symptom clusters are less likely to benefit from therapy, and for what reasons.

Trial Registration: The trial was preregistered at the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00031206; 2023-05-09).