IMH studying if modified PTSD therapy can help mild depression

Researchers at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) are studying whether a modified version of a treatment typically used for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can help prevent major depression in people who have mild symptoms of the condition and a history of childhood adversity.

- Lee Li Ying Correspondent

Participants in the study will learn strategies on how to regulate their emotions and improve interpersonal skills.

Dr Liu Jianlin, lead researcher for the study, said adverse childhood experiences are considered a form of traumatic stress, and impacts the development of emotional regulation and interpersonal relation skills.

“Trauma impacts such skills development by distorting the way we relate to others. For example, it impacts the way we trust others and the way we see ourselves in the context of other people.

“Experiencing very, very strong emotions at a young age may also impact how we respond later on in life” said Dr Liu, who is also a research fellow at IMH’s research division.

The modified intervention, called Internet-delivered Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation or i-STAIR, is a one-on-one treatment that will take place for an hour weekly over eight months.

It will be facilitated by a research psychologist over online consultations.

The study will take place over three years from November 2025 to November 2028. It aims to recruit 150 participants, aged between 21 and 65, who have a history of adverse childhood experiences and have subsyndromal depression (SSD).

SSD is a milder form of depression where the symptoms may impact day-to-day functioning, but do not meet the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder.