PHQiMS study fully recruited
Apr 2019: 130 people with MS have signed up to test the questionnaire that measures mood.
Low mood and depression affects as many as 1 in 2 people with MS at some point in their lives This is often treatable but can be missed during doctors’ appointments as many of the symptoms of mental illness are often similar as those experienced in MS, for example fatigue and loss of concentration.
The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) has been shown to be a helpful tool for assessing mood in people with medical conditions other than MS. It is being tested as part of the PHQiMS study at the Anne Rowling Clinic to investigate whether it is effective for measuring and monitoring mood, specifically in people with MS.
This week the study team announced that it has reached its target for participants by recruiting 130 people with MS to test the questionnaire. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to take part.
If the questionnaire proves to be effective in assessing the mental health of people with MS, it is hoped that it will then be rolled out across NHS Lothian, and hopefully far wider.
Dr Pete Connick from the Anne Rowling Clinic and University of Edinburgh is the principal investigator for the study. Working alongside him are Dr Suzanne Quigley and Emily Beswick, Rowling intern at the Clinic and a psychology graduate.
Suzanne and Emily have recently been raising awareness of the study amongst professionals and the MS community. Emily recently presented at the NHS Lothian Research and Development conference. Next week she will visit the British Psychological Society Northern Ireland Branch Annual Conference to present on the details of the study and also gather opinions on how psychologists believe screening tools for depression could be beneficial for people with MS. Suzanne will present details of the research at the Association of British Neurologists Annual Meeting in Edinburgh in May.
Once the study is complete and the results are available, we’ll publicise the research findings here on our website.
Related links
Read more about the PHQiMS study on our 'Find a Project' pages