Leveraging Ecological Momentary Assessment in Depression Trials

A study explored ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as a measurement tool in depression clinical trials.

In a 6-week trial, 36 participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to self-report symptoms twice daily. Strong correlations between EMA-derived HamD6 scores and clinician ratings were found, with EMA showing significant improvements over time. Treatment responses from EMA matched clinician ratings in 91.7% of cases.

These findings suggest that EMA can provide more accurate, daily tracking of depression symptoms, offering a promising alternative to traditional assessments in clinical trials. 

This open-access article originally appeared in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 136, in February 2021.