 When the team released the findings they put it up on a website with the test, but they didn’t expect such media publicity and interest. ‘We’ve had over 50,000 people visiting,’ says Professor King. The website was intended for academics interested in the research but struck a chord among the general public. They are assessing whether to restrict access to the website. They are concerned that people taking the test might be upset or fearful of their future. This is something they are addressing in the next steps of the research.
‘We are trying to develop an application,’ says Professor King, ‘to go out and ask patients, their relatives, their doctors and nurses in General Practice, ‘What shall we do about this?’ If someone comes up with a high score, what is the best kind of intervention? Will they be made anxious by knowing their risk?’ The aim is to develop the tool so that doctors can help prevent major depression.
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