Witten/Herdecke University models human interaction to better understand mental disorders

When people enter into relationships with each other, different needs come together: we want to experience ourselves as belonging, valuable and self-determined and at the same time avoid experiences of rejection, disrespect or heteronomy. In relationships, the aim is to harmonise and maintain our own needs with those of the other person. Prof. Dr Stefan Westermann models these relationship patterns in his research; he has now been appointed to the Chair of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy IV at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H). His modelling contributes to a better understanding of the interpersonal aspects of mental disorders and psychotherapy.

Simulation modelling has become an integral part of other sciences - weather models in meteorology are a vivid example. Prof Westermann believes that they can also contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying mental disorders. This is why one focus of his work is to establish "formal modelling" for research into mental disorders and psychotherapy. In order to advance this new approach, he and Dr Sven Banisch from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology recently acquired third-party funding for the scientific network "Computational Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy", which aims to pool the interests and expertise of 20 researchers and will be founded in autumn 2024.

Do negative expectations in interpersonal situations influence depression?

Prof Westermann and his team are also investigating the connection between interpersonal expectations and depressive symptoms. People with depression often have problems with interpersonal relationships; there is evidence that negative expectations are built up around an encounter even before it is planned. In a study designed in collaboration with Dr Thies Lüdtke from the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, the study team wants to find out how people with depression are influenced by their negative expectations and whether these expectations can maintain depressive symptoms.

The study is planned to run for 3 years and will start this year. It compares data from people with depressive disorders with that of people with anxiety disorders and people without mental disorders. Participants will answer certain questions on their smartphone for a fortnight before and after planned meetings, for example how they expect to feel and later to what extent these and other expectations have been confirmed. "We hope that this will help us to better understand the interpersonal processes of people with mental illness. These findings could be important starting points for psychotherapy."

Passing on knowledge about mental disorders and their treatment

In his teaching at the UW/H, Prof. Dr Westermann imparts knowledge about mental disorders and their treatment as well as psychotherapeutic skills, for example in courses on the theory of disorders and procedures and on applied psychotherapy, in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in psychology with a focus on clinical psychology and psychotherapy. It encourages students to think critically beyond the boundaries of individual schools of therapy and to gain practical experience.