Method for diagnosing psychiatric disorders

• US 6,245,021 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2000
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medibio Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Heartlink NA Patent Corporation
• Inventors: Stampfer, Hans George
• Primary Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARTER, RYAN CHRISTOPHER
• Application Number:
  US09/402,869
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 600/481-500, 600/544, 128/898-899, 607/45
• US Class Current: 600/481
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies

Abstract

A method for diagnosing a psychiatric disorder in a subject, the method comprising the steps of measuring the pattern of a subject'"'"'s heart rate, and using said pattern to diagnose the psychiatric disorder. Also disclosed is a method for assessing the effectiveness of a treatment for a psychiatric disorder, comprising measuring a heart rate pattern of a subject before treatment, measuring a heart rate pattern of the subject during treatment, and comparing the patterns for changes to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing a psychiatric disorder in a subject, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a heart rate pattern of the subject; and

using said pattern to diagnose the psychiatric disorder.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heart rate pattern is a circadian heart rate pattern.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein a portion of the circadian heart rate pattern is used to diagnose the psychiatric disorder.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the portion of the circadian heart rate pattern is measured over approximately 90 minutes.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the portion of the circadian heart rate pattern includes at least a portion of the heart rate pattern exhibited whilst the subject is asleep.

6. A method according to claim 3 wherein the portion of the circadian heart rate pattern includes the portion of the heart rate pattern exhibited during the transition of the subject into or out of sleep.

7. A method according to claim 2 wherein the entire circadian heart rate pattern is used to diagnose the psychiatric disorder.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heart rate pattern is measured as beats per minute over time.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heart rate pattern is measured as a difference plot which reflects variations or fluctuations in heart rate.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the difference plot is a plot of heart rate (t+1)−

heart rate (t), where t is time in minutes, over time.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heart rate pattern is measured in a plurality of formats and the plurality of formats are used together to diagnose the psychiatric disorder.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of formats is beats per minute over time and heart rate (t+1)−

heart rate (t), where t is time in minutes, over time.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heart rate pattern of the subject is compared with at least one reference heart rate pattern indicative of a psychiatric disorder.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the reference heart rate pattern is provided in a computerized database.

15. A method accordingly to claim 1 wherein the heart rate pattern of the subject is compared to a plurality of reference heart rate patterns indicative of a psychiatric disorder, and wherein said reference heart rate patterns are developed by collecting data from a sufficient number of patients with psychiatric disorders to determine a typical pattern.

16. A method according to claim 1 wherein the subject'"'"'s heart rate is measured with a monitor that is unobtrusive and leaves the person freely ambulant.

17. A method according to claim 1 wherein the psychiatric disorder is selected from the group comprising:

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder (PD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), non-psychotic Major Depression, Somatoform Disorder (hypochondriacal type), Delusional Disorder (paranoid and somatic type), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and acute Schizophreniform Disorder.

18. A method for diagnosing a psychiatric disorder in a subject, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a heart rate pattern of the subject;

comparing said heart rate pattern of the subject with a record of the subject'"'"'s activities; and

comparing said heart rate pattern of the subject with at least one reference heart rate pattern indicative of a psychiatric disorder wherein the comparison of said heart rate pattern with said record of the subject'"'"'s activities allows for the effects of noise in said heart rate pattern of the subject to be negated.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the record of the subject'"'"'s activities comprises a daily diary that is completed by the subject when being subjected to the method.

20. A method for assessing the effectiveness of a treatment for a psychiatric disorder in a subject, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a heart rate pattern of the subject before said treatment;

measuring a heart rate pattern of the subject during said treatment; and

comparing said patterns for changes to determine the effectiveness of said treatment.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the subject heart rate pattern is measured before, during and after said treatment to assess the efficacy of the treatment.

22. A method according to claim 20 wherein the treatment is a drug treatment.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the drug treatment involves the administration of a drug selected from the group comprising:

benzodiazepines;

anti-depressants such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibiters (SSRIs);

Tri-cyclic Antidepressants (TCAs);

Reversible Inhibitor of Monoamines (RIMAs); and

sertraline.