Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Sleep
Psychological, autonomic, and sleep (PAS) profiles in post-traumatic stress disorder and depression
Lay summary
- An individual may experience a wide range of PTSD-symptom combinations such as hyperarousal, additional mental health disorders such as depression or changes in bodily processes and rhythms such as heart rate and sleep.
- However, little is known about the specific profiles of people who experience PTSD, how they differ from those who experience depression, and how these might relate to sleep.
- The goal of this study is to describe the different patterns of symptoms linked to PTSD and depression, the extent to which these patterns are specific to each diagnosis, and how these patterns change over time.
- This will be done through a variety of data collection methods, including interviews, questionnaires, at-home heart-monitoring devices and saliva samples.
- Another aim is to develop a way to identify changes in mood and symptoms using information from how an individual may interact with social media.
Scientific summary
The symptomology of PTSD is complicated by an extensive range of possible symptom combinations, leading to diverse profiles and subtypes. Among the core features of PTSD are hyperarousal and autonomic dysfunctions, both of which are reflected by heart rate abnormalities. PTSD is also commonly associated with recurring nightmares and sleep difficulties, which include not only common sleep abnormalities but also changes in daily rhythms. Further, there is a high comorbidity with other mental health disorders, notably depression, which complicates diagnosis and treatment plans. Sleep disturbances linked to PTSD could interact in a bidirectional manner with the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and subsequently affect daytime psychological and cognitive profiles. Therefore, further studies are needed to better understand the psychological and cognitive profiles of people with PTSD, how they differentiate from depression, and their potential interactions with markers of autonomic arousal and sleep. The goal of this study is to characterize multi-dimensional symptom profiles linked to PTSD and depression—and determine how diagnosis-specific these symptom profiles are—by combining data from semi-structured psychiatric interviews, online questionnaires, and at-home ambulatory monitoring devices with analysis of saliva samples. It also seeks to determine how these profiles change over time in relation to extended psychological, physiological and cognitive factors. A secondary objective of the project is to develop a novel means to detect mood changes and clinical state based on social media activities.
