Challenges in the selection and measurement of outcomes in psychiatric trials

Abstract

Introduction In healthcare, decision-making must always have the patient and the public at the centre. In psychiatry, there is little consensus regarding optimal ways to measure outcomes, but prioritising patient relevance is crucial for enhancing the evidence base of psychiatric interventions and, ultimately, improving the mental health outcomes of psychiatric patients.1 This paper examines critical challenges in selecting and measuring patient-important outcomes in psychiatric trials across diverse age groups, including children, adolescents, adults and older adults. We describe four general problems concerning outcome selection and measurement in psychiatric trials and propose solutions to these problems. Throughout the article, we use examples from research on major depressive disorder, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder, although we hypothesise that the methodological issues concern most other psychiatric disorders.