Digital early detection of psychological disorder after the loss of a loved one: DeathGRIP (Grief Response in Post Pandemic Society)

The mental health field is at a tipping point. As the world adjusts to COVID-19, there is an urgent need to prepare for a 'shadow' pandemic of mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Simultaneously, the recent introduction of a new mental health disorder, prolonged grief disorder (PGD), in the eleventh edition of the International Classification of Disorders (ICD-11) and Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5th edition (DSM 5-TR) is both an opportunity and a serious challenge. The inclusion legitimizes a long-known mental health challenge and thus creates an opportunity to provide those suffering from prolonged grief with the right care at the right time. At the same time, researchers and clinicians are faced with the challenge of filling substantial research and clinical knowledge gaps. Currently, lack of knowledge about the illness course of PGD, symptom structure and predictors of illness severity are contributing to a crisis of missed diagnosis, long term chronic care needs and increased burden on care systems.This project will use experience sampling methodology to give longitudinal, fine-grained data on the sequalae of psychological disorder after bereavement; the first investigation to do so. Three studies are proposed: (1) Longitudinal digital experience sampling methodology (ESM) on the psychological impact of bereavement in Switzerland; (2) Mapping of digital markers of PGD in Iran, Kenya, and China: Cross cultural cohort comparison study; and (3) Digital First Response for humanitarian migrants: early detection and alerting of psychological disorder using personalized ESM. The global recognition of PGD is an opportunity to unite clinicians and researchers with a systematic, evidence based and multi-levelled response. The main aim of this project is to provide a digital early detection system for PGD and its psychological sequalae so that chronic and debilitating outcomes may be circumvented for individuals and health care systems. These would be the first studies in the field to 1) examine psychological sequalae of bereavement using longitudinal and ESM mobile app methodology (study 1), 2) examine the onset and course of multiple disorders (PGD, PTSD, MDD) following bereavement (study 1), 3) include fine grained analysis of symptoms within and between cultural groups (study 2), and 4) develop an early detection system for a high-risk group of humanitarian migrants (study 3). In our post-pandemic society, evidence-based clinical guidance on the course, etiology and risk factors after bereavement are urgently needed.