Johanna Wigman1, Sanne Booij1; 1Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
Background: Course and outcome of early psychotic symptoms are difficult to predict, hampering timely intervention. Research relies heavily on diagnostic categories, group-level comparisons and assessment of static symptom levels. However, symptoms may wax, wane, change individually or cross diagnostic borders. Adding a more personalized as well as a more transdiagnostic dimension to the model may provide a valuable step forwards. Methods: The new Mirorr study investigates this. Mirorr follows N=100 individuals (age 18-35), divided over four subgroups with increasing psychopathological severity (i.e. subsequent clinical stages). Mirorr is a diary study, assessing a broad range of transdiagnostic symptoms for 90 consecutive days that are then mapped into individual networks of interacting symptoms. Comparison of these networks across different stages as well as within-person comparison of symptom networks over time are investigated. Network characteristics will be used to predict clinical and functional outcome after one, two and three years. Mirorr is currently running and results of the study so far will be presented. Results: Preliminary results indicate differences in symptom networks between subgroups. Characteristics of these symptom networks of individuals in different clinical stages will be presented, and associations with psychopathology and functioning. Of particular interest are structure (e.g. density) of the symptom networks, differences therein and the specific role of psychotic experiences. Discussion: Research and clinical practice may benefit from a more personalized, dynamic, transdiagnostic perspective. Mirorr exemplifies how this may help to capture the complex nature of psychopathology and its development.
