Trans-diagnostic Emotional Dysregulation Device (TED-D)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Trans-diagnostic Emotional Dysregulation Device (TED-D) Project: Development and evaluation of a therapy enhancing device based on wearable biosensor technology and App for use in AMH settings in the NHS. Pilot Study.
IRAS ID
199996
Contact name
Simon Moseley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Pathway to Portfolio Funding Stream
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Chronic adult mental health problems invariably involve difficulties in tolerating distressing emotional states. Evidence-based talking therapies target a range of emotional, cognitive and problem solving skills and strategies. Early detection of emotional problems and prompts to act skilfully reduce likelihood of emotional dysregulation and crises developing. Availability of talking therapies in the NHS are limited, with many patients relying on long term psychopharmacology, with associated side-effects. Technology in talking therapy is not new, however, its use in the NHS remains rare. Given advances in mobile and wearable technology, its ubiquity and connection to people’s lives, there are opportunities to develop applications for enhancing psychological treatments. Psychological therapy typically involves weekly hour long sessions in office hours, leaving untapped therapeutic opportunities between sessions, and whenever crises occur. Whilst paper or computer based delivery is available, these lack the responsive, personalised aspect of a therapeutic relationship.
TED-D is a project to develop a personalised therapy enhancing mobile phone App, linked to wearable physiological state monitoring technology, based on the Microsoft Band-2, via low energy blu-tooth. TED-D continually monitors physiological states of arousal in real time using bio-physiological sensors, together with the App's interactive subjective data input. This data will be processed to provide meaningful information to identify early emotional dysregulation, and prompt a range of audio-visual therapy intervention vignettes on the App, (co-produced and reviewed in session between therapist and patient). Given significant individual differences in physiological arousal and emotional reactivity patterns, and confounding effects, each device will learn what the data means for each user - this process will be called "Imprinting". The linked therapeutic App will be a personalised series of audio-visual recordings by the therapist and patient arranged in order of recognised triggering events and levels of distress. This process will be called "Co-regulating".REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
16/WA/0325
Date of REC Opinion
11 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion