Our research
Our purpose is to produce high-quality research about mental health
that has a positive impact on society.
Research focus
key focus:
- The development and testing of innovative psychological interventions to treat mental ill-health in children, adolescents, working-age adults and older people, culminating in significant research funding, and definitive multi-site randomised trials. We have specific expertise in mood and anxiety disorders, OCD, autism, psychosis, substance use, youth mental health and dementia.
Complementary and novel research themes include:
- Our mental wellbeing and prevention research which addresses, the interplay between family relationships, rearing practices, adversity and genetics, stigma and discrimination, public health, wellbeing, and parenting interventions on children's mental health, and social and emotional function.
- A new global mental health programme that involves the development, adaptation, and delivery of culturally adapted interventions and therapy training programmes in low and middle-income countries (LMIC), in India and Malaysia.
- Our digital mental health research involves the development and delivery of blended and digitally supported interventions and approaches across mental ill-health, and wellbeing and prevention. The experimental use of digital platforms and VR approaches illuminates underpinning mechanisms for better mental health, whilst the opportunity to use big data enables patient identification, as well as epidemiological, mechanistic, targeted mental health research, and NHS Mental Health Quality improvement.
We use robust clinical, social, developmental and cognitive theories, basic neuroscience, advanced research methods, and analytical techniques to underpin our research, which translates into enhanced mental health outcomes.
Subject groups our members represent
- Biological Psychology: This group delves into the neural and physiological mechanisms underlying emotion, learning, appetiate, taste memory, addiction, the adolscsent brain and poor mental health. They also study the effects of ageing on the brain.
-
Clinical Psychology: The focus here is on mental health and wellbeing. This group works on developing and evaluating psychological interventions to improve mental health outcomes and enhance the quality of life for individuals with psychological disorders.
-
Cognitive Psychology: Researchers in this group explore the intricacies of thinking, memory, language, sensation, perception, attention, communication, and consciousness.
-
Developmental Psychology: This group examines the psychological growth and changes that occur throughout the lifespan. They focus on how people develop cognitively, emotionally, and socially from infancy through old age.
-
Social and Applied Psychology: The research here looks into self-affirmation, emotion regulation, body image, culture, self and identity, crowds, consumers, health, and prosocial behaviour. This group applies psychological principles to understand and address social issues and promote positive social change.