Supporting Therapeutic Relationships and Communication about Mental Health

Effective communication and strong therapeutic relationships are critical to successful mental health interventions. For example, in 1957 Carl Rogers, a pioneer of person-centred therapy, proposed that an empowering relationship could, in and of itself, create the necessary and sufficient conditions for positive therapeutic outcomes [1]. Whilst modern psychological theories no longer favour an exclusive focus on relationships, positive relationships and the dynamics of client-therapist communication remain cornerstones of mental health intervention theories. A more recent meta-review concluded that across all interventions models, irrespective of the theoretical approach, the quality of the relationship between therapists and clients is the second leading determinant of successful clinical outcomes [2]. Over the past ten years we (David Coyle and Gavin Doherty) have designed and evaluated a wide range to systems that provide support for psychological (or talk- based) mental health interventions [3]. Here we briefly consider two recent examples. In each case our aim was to enhance communication and reshape clinical practice in a manner that empowers patients. gNats Island is a computer game that supports face-to-face interventions for adolescents [4]. MindBalance is an online treatment programme for adults experiencing difficulties with depression [5].Comment: 4 pages. Presented at the ACM CHI 2013 workshop on Patient-Clinician Communicatio

Degradation of Axial Shaft Capacity of Piles in Soft Clay Due to Cyclic Loading

This paper presents details of the installation and axial compressive cyclic load tests performed on the UCD 76mm diameter highly instrumented steel pile at a soft clay test site in Belfast. Lateral stress measurements and pore pressures are obtained through pressure transducers mounted diametrically opposite each other in the pile wall at three levels. The pore pressures during installation are seen to drop off as pile-slip occurs for a given jacking stroke before rising to higher ultimate values, resulting in a brittle load response. Following an equalisation period two cyclic load tests were performed, where the loads were applied from zero up to a prespecified maximum and cycled about these values for a number of cycles, N, before ramping up the load and repeating the process. Cyclic loads at 33% and 66% of the installation resistance generate negligible displacements with the pore pressure and total stresses remaining relatively stable. High level loads at 150% of the installation resistance cause rapid displacement accumulation to occur. The pore pressure behaviour for a given cycle is comparable to that observed during installation as temporary reductions in pore pressure when cyclic loads are applied results in a dynamic capacity resisting cyclic loading which is greater than the static capacity. However positive pore pressure generation results in decreased effective stresses as the pile displaces under the higher loads. A comparison with normalised uncycled fully equalised radial effective stresses indicates degradation in excess of 50%, resulting from the high level cyclic displacements

Reasoning about dynamic information displays

With increasing use of computing systems while on the move and in constantly changing conditions, whether it is via mobile devices, wearable computers or embedded systems in the environment, time plays an increasingly important role in interaction. The way in which information is represented in an interface is fundamental to interaction with it, and how the information is used in the users tasks and activities. Dynamic representations where the user must perceive changes in the information displayed over time pose a further challenge to the designer. Very often this information is integrated with information from the environment in the performance of the user's tasks. The diminutive size and limited display capabilities of many ubiquitous and mobile computing devices further motivate careful design of these displays. In this paper we look at how time can be taken into account when reasoning about representational issues from the early stages of design. We look at a model which can be used to reason about these issues in a structured fashion, and apply it to an example

Reviewing and evaluating mobile apps for memory impairments in depression

Depression is a major affective disorder which influences autobiographical memory processing abilities. Mobile phones hold great potential for delivering effective self-help treatments that target depression and for assisting users’ memory processing. This work explores commercial apps that support users’ everyday challenges associated with depression and in particular memory processing. Our results highlight the current functionalities of top-rated apps on major marketplaces, which could be used to inform novel functionalities, better tailored to address depression-related memory issues and consequently reduce users’ depressive symptoms

Acceptance of smartwatches for automated self-report in mental health interventions

Tracking of mood is an activity commonly employed within a range of mental health interventions. Physical activity and sleep are also important for contextualising mood data but can be difficult to track manually and rely on retrospective recall. Smartwatches show potential to help reduce the burden on users in terms of remembering to track, and the effort of tracking, as well as difficulties in accurate recall of sleep and activity. This ongoing study explores the acceptance of the use of a smartwatch app for automated self-report in a mental health intervention context. The watch app studied allows the manual self-report of mood and automated self-report of sleep and physical activity. Acceptance is measured through usage metrics and a questionnaire based on the Health Information Technology Acceptance Model. Acceptance issues more specific to the context of mental health interventions (e.g. perceived stigma) are also explored. The questionnaire is delivered before first use of the app, after initial use, and following sustained use, in order to assess the evolution of patients’ acceptance over time