Characterising psychological trauma symptoms in MND

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Characterising psychological trauma resulting from being given a diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease

  • IRAS ID

    193057

  • Contact name

    Ammar Al-Chalabi

  • Contact email

    ammar.al-chalabi@kcl.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 4 months, 13 days

  • Research summary

    The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the prevalence and phenotype of psychological trauma symptoms resulting from being given a diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease (MND). It is known that some patients with life-shortening diseases, such as cancer, suffer symptoms of psychological trauma that are related to their disease and diagnosis. These symptoms have adverse effects on patients' physical and mental health outcomes. Such symptoms and their impact on patients has been poorly studied in MND, and this study aims to gather more information on this to aid diagnosis and management.

    People over 18 years old who have been diagnosed with MND in the past 1-3 months at King's College Hospital are eligible to take part in the study. Participants will complete 3 questionnaires during a routine visit to the King's College Hospital Motor Nerve Disease outpatient clinic, aimed at determining whether they experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety. The questionnaires are: 1) The PTSD Checklist For DSM-5; 2) The Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 Questionnaire; and 3) The Patient Health Questionnaire 9. Completing the questionnaires will take up to twenty minutes. Participants who score above a threshold of 38 points on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 will be invited to take part in a follow¬up 1 hour interview with an investigator to further characterise any symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. This interview will be structured using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale 5.

  • REC name

    West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    16/WM/0023

  • Date of REC Opinion

    25 Feb 2016

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion