Ambulatory Assessment

Environmental factors may be associated with the occurrence and exacerbation of psychopathological symptoms. Given these associations, studying individuals in the real world, as they go about their daily lives, is necessary to understand the patient experience. With the emphasis on recording information in real-time and in real-world settings, ambulatory assessment methods can be used to assess the dynamic interplay between individuals and the environmental influences on their behaviors. By monitoring the contextual information that drives pathological symptoms and behaviors, we can better understand the lived experience of psychological disorders and use this information to inform more personalized, cost-effective treatments. This chapter presents an overview of ambulatory assessment methods for studying psychopathology including the unique strengths and challenges associated with these methods. Furthermore, it discusses how ambulatory assessment methods can be utilized in treatments for psychological disorders. In particular, it focuses on the potential for ambulatory assessment technologies to revolutionize clinical treatments by intervening earlier in the symptom time course than conventional in-person strategies. Finally the chapter discusses ethical issues such as privacy and confidentiality associated with the use of electronic data and future directions in the development of interventions in psychopathology.