PROs for use in Psychiatry
Isis Outcomes has one PRO in the area of psychiatry, namely the new Oxford Depression Questionnaire (ODQ). The ODQ was specifically designed and developed to measure restrictions in emotional range, sometimes referred to as emotional blunting, in patients with major depression.
The Development Team
The design and development of the ODQ was commissioned through a research grant by a pharmaceutical company specifically interested in the aspect of emotional blunting and the use of anti-depressants. The team at the University of Oxford’s department of Psychiatry worked with colleagues at the Department of Public Health, expert in PRO data analysis to design and develop the ODQ. The co-authors of the ODQ are Professor Guy Goodwin and Dr Jonathan Price, both of the department of Psychiatry.
Professor Guy Goodwin is head of department at the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford and Fellow of Merton College. Guy has served as a member of the Wellcome Trust Neurosciences Panel, the Council of the British Association for Psychopharmacology and the Clinical fellowships panel and Advisory Board of the MRC. Guy was elected president of the British Association for Psychopharmacology for 2004 – 2005, he is also a Foreign corresponding fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).
Dr Jonathan Price has been the University's Clinical Tutor in Psychiatry since 2001, culminating in a University prize for teaching excellence, 2007. Jonathan’s research is currently focused on investigating possible emotional side-effects of antidepressants (such as ‘emotional blunting’).
The PRO
The Oxford Depression Questionnaire (ODQ)
The ODQ was developed to satisfy a need for a PRO tool to measure restrictions in emotions (emotional blunting) that could be a symptom of side-effects from treatments using anti-depressants. It contains four dimensions of reduction in positive emotions; general reduction in emotions; not caring; and emotional detachment.