The onset of schizophrenia occurs during a period critical for development of social relationships and functional independence. As such, interventions that target the early course of illness have the potential to stave off functional decline and restore functioning to pre-illness levels. In this entirely remote study, people with recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) participated in a 12-week randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of PRIME (personalized real-time intervention for motivational enhancement), a mobile-based digital health intervention designed to improve motivation and quality of life. Participants were randomized into the PRIME (n = 22) or treatment-as-usual/waitlist (TAU/WL) condition (n = 21) and completed assessments at baseline, post-trial (12 wk), and for people in the PRIME condition, 3 months after the end of the trial. After 12-weeks, WL participants received PRIME, resulting in a total sample of 38 participants completing PRIME. In PRIME, participants worked towards self-identified goals with the support of a virtual community of age-matched peers with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders as well as motivation coaches. Compared to the WL condition, people in the PRIME condition had significantly greater improvements in self-reported depression, defeatist beliefs, self-efficacy, and a trend towards motivation/pleasure negative symptoms post-trial, and these improvements were maintained 3 months after the end of trial. We also found that people in the PRIME condition had significantly greater improvements in components of social motivation post-trial (anticipated pleasure and effort expenditure). Our results suggest that PRIME has the potential to be an effective mobile-based intervention for improving aspects of mood and motivation in young people with SSDs.

BackgroundDespite improvements in treating psychosis, schizophrenia remains a chronic and debilitating disorder that affects approximately 1% of the US population and costs society more than depression, dementia, and other medical illnesses across most of the lifespan. Improving functioning early in the course of illness could have significant implications for long-term outcome of individuals with schizophrenia. Yet, current gold-standard treatments do not lead to clinically meaningful improvements in outcome, partly due to the inherent challenges of treating a population with significant cognitive and motivational impairments. The rise of technology presents an opportunity to develop novel treatments that may circumvent the motivational and cognitive challenges observed in schizophrenia.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a Personalized Real-Time Intervention for Motivation Enhancement (PRIME), a mobile app intervention designed to target reward-processing impairments, enhance motivation, and thereby improve quality of life in recent onset schizophrenia, and (2) evaluate the empirical benefits of using an iterative, user-centered design (UCD) process.MethodsWe conducted two design workshops with 15 key stakeholders, followed by a series of in-depth interviews in collaboration with IDEO, a design and innovation firm. The UCD approach ultimately resulted in the first iteration of PRIME, which was evaluated by 10 RO participants. Results from the Stage 1 participants were then used to guide the next iteration that is currently being evaluated in an ongoing RCT. Participants in both phases were encouraged to use the app daily with a minimum frequency of 1/week over a 12-week period.ResultsThe UCD process resulted in the following feature set: (1) delivery of text message (short message service, SMS)-based motivational coaching from trained therapists, (2) individualized goal setting in prognostically important psychosocial domains, (3) social networking via direct peer-to-peer messaging, and (4) community “moments feed” to capture and reinforce rewarding experiences and goal achievements. Users preferred an experience that highlighted several of the principles of self-determination theory, including the desire for more control of their future (autonomy and competence) and an approach that helps them improve existing relationships (relatedness). IDEO, also recommended an approach that was casual, friendly, and nonstigmatizing, which is in line with the recovery model of psychosis. After 12-weeks of using PRIME, participants used the app, on average, every other day, were actively engaged with its various features each time they logged in and retention and satisfaction was high (20/20, 100% retention, high satisfaction ratings). The iterative design process lead to a 2- to 3-fold increase in engagement from Stage 1 to Stage 2 in almost each aspect of the platform.ConclusionsThese results indicate that the neuroscience-informed mobile app, P...

Background Despite decades of research and development, depression has risen from the 5th to the leading cause of disability in the U.S. Barriers to progress in the field are 1) Poor access to high quality care; 2) Limited mental health workforce; and 3) Few providers trained in the delivery of evidence-based treatments (EBTs). While mobile platforms are being developed to give consumers greater access to high quality care, too often these tools do not have empirical support for their effectiveness. In this study, we evaluated PRIME-D, a mobile app intervention that uses social networking, goal setting, and a mental health coach to deliver text-based, EBT’s to treat mood symptoms and functioning in adults with depression. Methods Thirty-six adults with depression remotely participated in PRIME-D over an 8-week period with a 4-week follow up, with 83% retained over the 12-week course of the study. Results On average, participants logged into the app 5 days/week. Depression scores (PHQ-9) significantly improved over time (over 50% reduction), with coach interactions enhancing these effects. Mood-related disability (SDS) also significantly decreased over time with participants no longer being impaired by their mood symptoms. Overall use of PRIME-D predicted greater gains in functioning. Improvements in mood and functioning were sustained over the 4-week follow-up. Conclusions Results suggest that PRIME-D is a feasible, acceptable, and effective intervention for adults with depression and that a mobile service delivery model may address the serious public health problem of poor access to high quality mental health care.

People with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) often experience impairments in non-social motivation. In this study, we extended this line of investigation by examining specific components of social motivation and the extent to which these components work together in people with and without a recent-onset SSD. Sixty-four people with a recent-onset SSD and 26 controls completed a task that allowed us to examine changes in anticipated pleasure, decisions to trust, and effort expenditure over the course of repeated interactions with positive or negative outcomes. Compared to controls, we found that people in the SSD group placed less trust, tended to anticipate less pleasure, and expended less effort to increase the likelihood of future interactions with positive outcomes. Further, in the SSD group, effort expenditure was not associated with either anticipated pleasure or decisions to trust. While there were no group differences in anticipated pleasure or trust placed during interactions with negative outcomes, people in the SSD group expended less effort to decrease to the likelihood of future interactions. Taken together, our findings suggest that people with a recent-onset SSD may experience both impairment and disconnection between various components of social motivation for interactions with positive outcomes. Implications for interventions for social engagement in people with SSD are discussed.

COVID-19 most commonly affects the respiratory system; however, in the past two years, we have seen it affects multiple organ systems, including neurological, and continue to learn its effects. This article presents a 69-year-old female with a history of cognitive impairment with hallucinations, treatment for syphilis, and twice vaccination for COVID-19, who presented to the emergency department (ED) with altered mental status. She later developed a subdural hemorrhage (SDH) after testing positive for COVID-19 during admission.