Psychology experts in Southampton are participating in a novel study to better understand possible connections between mental health problems in young adults.
Previous research suggests many mental health problems co-occur. This latest study, STRATIFY, aims to identify the biological and social causes of such conditions with the hope of developing new, personalised treatments for people living with mental difficulties.
Identifying patterns
Up to 900 individuals aged between 18 and 25 years will take part in this study, including mental health patients from clinics in Southampton and London, and members of the general public.
Broken down into three phases, the study will analyse cognitive, emotional, environmental and neuro-imaging data to help identify possible social and biological patterns across mental health disorders.
Participants will complete an at-home questionnaire, puzzles, sequencing patterns, numerical and language quizzes, and back-track their alcohol consumption and mental health over the previous month.
They will then complete further puzzles whilst having an MRI brain scan to monitor active brain activity, structure and function. Blood and saliva samples will also be taken to help identify any genetic patterns and how a person’s biological make-up might affect their mental health.
Developing new therapies
“We are interested in understanding the social and biological causes of mental disorders with the aim of developing better treatments for people living with mental health difficulties”, explained Dr John Broulidakis, a research fellow at the University of Southampton who is leading the Southampton-arm of this study.
“We hope this study will uncover patterns in people living with a range of mental health problems and, ultimately, the route causes of these problems.”
“Using this data, we can go on and develop new diagnoses and personalised therapies based on these factors and precisely target certain symptoms that cause problems in each individual.”
Taking part
If you are aged 18 to 25, and would be interested in taking part in the study, please email STRATIFY@soton.ac.uk or call 023 8231 0775.
Participants will be paid £100 for their time and will receive a copy of their MRI brain scan as an additional thank you for taking part. Recruitment closes July 2019.
Posted on Thursday 4 October 2018