SNSF Funding for New Project on Rethinking Depression Relapse
We are pleased to announce that our project, “Rethinking Depression Relapse: Modelling the Dynamic Interplay of Functioning, Depressive Symptoms, and Psychological Mechanisms,” has been awarded competitive funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation.
The project aims to improve understanding of why depression often returns after treatment. Moving beyond a sole focus on symptoms, it examines how daily functioning and psychological processes interact over time to influence relapse risk.
Using real-time data collection in daily life, the study combines ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with passive sensing data (e.g., activity and behavioral patterns) and speech diaries capturing daily positive and negative experiences. This multimodal approach will allow a more comprehensive and ecologically valid understanding of patients’ everyday lives.
By applying advanced dynamic modeling techniques, the study will follow 200 individuals after acute-phase treatment. The findings are expected to support more accurate relapse prediction and inform the development of personalized prevention strategies.