Computerized adaptive test for depression

• Grant number: 06/07127-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2007
• End date: November 30, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Probability and Statistics - Statistics
• Principal Investigator: Mariana Cúri
• Grantee: Hugo Thales de Araujo Oliveira da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The evaluation of depression on a single person can be done with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). This instrument is composed by 21 items, self-applicated, which research the frequence of symtoms' occurrences normally presented by depressed people and has a high acuracy. However, the depression is under-diagnosticated and under-treated, especially at the non-specialized in Psiquiatry medical centers. Some of the factors pointed as cause of this failture in the depression diagnosis are the "timeless" in attendment, the recognizement of only depression physical symptoms by physicians and the scantiness of anonymity of the patients during the relate of their own symtoms. To auxiliate and agilize the depression's diagnostic, this project sets out the development of a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) of BDI, disponibilizing it on Web. The CAT reduces the realization time of the test applicating less items, it don't discourage the people (asking irrelevant questions, considering the gravidity level of the patient), moreover it estimates the individual depression level with better precision and show imediate results. In this sense, this research will help the clinic physician in primary care services, in other general medical services and because it is disponibilized on Web and can be accessed from home, it incentives a person whose CAT results indicate a high probability level of depression to seek for medical help. (AU)