The Digital Conceptualisation of Depression – Dr Arshya Vahabzadeh

Dr. Arshya Vahabzadeh is a Harvard-trained physician-technologist specializing in pediatric and adult psychiatry, and family medicine. As an expert on the use of new technologies for mental health disorders, Dr. Vahabzadeh has over 20 national and international awards and recognized as a “40 under 40” healthcare innovator. He believes that a convergence of clinical neuroscience, data science, and exponential technologies, can result in transformational change for global mental health. 

Author Quotes  

Summary and slides  

In this video, Dr. Arshya Vahabzadeh, Harvard-trained physician-technologist, and innovation officer of the Massachusetts General Psychiatry Academy talks about the complexity and heterogeneity of depression when broken down into its symptom components. 

For example, the following is the prevalence of respective conditions in depression

• Alcohol abuse/dependence = 27%
• Anxiety disorders = 57%
• Personality disorders = 44%
• Pure MDD = 21%

To add to the complexity we know that the microbiome, the gut, and the brain are all linked and the inflammatory hypothesis of depression creates further heterogeneity.

Thus; Is it time to reimagine our research scales?

What do our research scales actually show?

An interesting study by Eiko Fried investigated to which degree 7 common depression scales differ in their item content and generalisability. The 7 instruments encompass 52 disparate symptoms. Surprisingly, 40% of the symptoms appear in only a single scale, and 12% across all instruments.

The author concludes –

One has to ask –