Persistent Depressive Disorder Technology & Digital Applications 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A person with PDD uses a mood-tracking app that prompts journaling each evening. What is the primary therapeutic mechanism this supports?
- Distraction from depressive thoughts
- Behavioral activation and self-monitoring (Correct answer)
- Social comparison with other users
- Medication adherence reminders
Correct answer: Behavioral activation and self-monitoring
Daily journaling prompts support behavioral activation and self-monitoring, core CBT techniques relevant to treating PDD.
Question 2: Which limitation of using AI chatbots for PDD support is most clinically significant?
- They are too expensive for most users
- They cannot detect suicidal ideation reliably (Correct answer)
- They only work on smartphones
- They require internet access at all times
Correct answer: They cannot detect suicidal ideation reliably
AI chatbots cannot reliably detect or appropriately respond to suicidal ideation, making them unsafe as standalone PDD support tools.
Question 3: A clinician wants to use telepsychiatry for a PDD patient who lives in a rural area. Which factor is most important to assess first?
- The patient's preferred video platform
- Reliable internet connectivity and private space (Correct answer)
- Whether the patient owns a laptop
- The time zone difference between patient and clinician
Correct answer: Reliable internet connectivity and private space
Reliable internet and a private space are foundational prerequisites for effective and confidential telepsychiatry sessions.
Question 4: Digital phenotyping in PDD research involves collecting passive data such as GPS location and phone usage. What is the main ethical concern?
- Data is collected too infrequently to be useful
- Continuous passive surveillance raises privacy and consent issues (Correct answer)
- The technology is not yet accurate enough
- It requires participants to be hospitalized
Correct answer: Continuous passive surveillance raises privacy and consent issues
Continuous passive data collection raises significant privacy concerns and requires robust, ongoing informed consent processes.
Question 5: Which type of smartphone feature has been shown to most directly help individuals with PDD combat social isolation?
- High-resolution cameras for photography hobbies
- Scheduled reminders to initiate social contact (Correct answer)
- GPS navigation for attending appointments
- Noise-canceling functionality during calls
Correct answer: Scheduled reminders to initiate social contact
Scheduled reminders to initiate contact address the withdrawal and low motivation characteristic of PDD by prompting social engagement.
Question 6: A study finds that heavy social media use is associated with worse outcomes in PDD. What mechanism best explains this relationship?
- Social media causes sleep disorders directly
- Upward social comparison reinforces negative self-beliefs (Correct answer)
- Social media algorithms promote political content
- Excessive screen time damages eyesight
Correct answer: Upward social comparison reinforces negative self-beliefs
Upward social comparison on social media reinforces the negative self-concept and low self-esteem that are hallmarks of PDD.
Question 7: When an online self-help program for depression uses 'gamification,' what is the intended therapeutic benefit?
- To make the program cheaper to develop
- To increase engagement and motivation through reward systems (Correct answer)
- To collect data on user behavior for research
- To reduce the need for human therapist oversight
Correct answer: To increase engagement and motivation through reward systems
Gamification uses reward systems and progress milestones to sustain engagement and motivation, which are often diminished in PDD.
Persistent Depressive Disorder Technology & Digital Applications 2
A person with PDD uses a mood-tracking app that prompts journaling each evening.
What is the primary therapeutic mechanism this supports?