Depression is a mental disorder that is characterized by a recurrent course of illness in many cases, by clinical and biological heterogeneity contributes largest to the burden of disease. Specifically, depression reduces psychosocial function and work productivity. Among the symptom clusters of depression, cognitive dimensions are prominent and include emotion processing, cognitive function, and social cognition. These cognitive dimensions as key features of depression appear to be relevant for psychosocial function and present as targets of psychological treatment (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy). The CoFaM Study aims to improve the understanding of the clinical, functional, and biological correlates of three cognitive dimensions of depression: emotion processing, cognitive function, and social cognition. Advances in the understanding of these cognitive dimensions are important to identify new treatment targets and to prevent decline in functional capacity. Recruitment of cases and controls of CoFaMS is ongoing. Study recruitment continues until December 2018.
