Keynotes
Prof. Dr. Claudi Bockting
University of Amsterdam
Novel Approaches to Prevention and Intervention in Clinical Psychology and beyond
Abstract C. Bockting
Novel Approaches to Prevention and Intervention in Clinical Psychology and beyond
Common mental health disorders (depressive-, and anxiety disorders) are a worldwide epidemic and there is no evidence that the epidemic is subsiding. Societal challenges such as urbanicity. climate change, polarisation, war but also an ageing population will have adverse effects on mental health. Depression is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. Evidence for leading theories that explain the onset and maintenance of depression is fragmented, mostly focusing on a single etiological factor. Whereas, mental health conditions are the result of the interplay of mental-, biological, stress related- and societal factors that can change over time. In this presentation first steps towards an integrative dynamical framework including the impact of societal challenges will be discussed that do incorporate the interplay between relevant factors that contribute to mental health conditions in order to explore new targets for prevention and treatment. Examples will be given of simple interventions that have sustainable effects. Implications for novel approaches to prevention and interventions in clinical psychology will be discussed.
Dr. Amy Orben – Klaus-Grawe-Mittagsvorlesung
University of Cambridge
Screen Savers: Protecting Adolescent Mental Health in a Digital World
Abstract A. Orben
Screen Savers: Protecting Adolescent Mental Health in a Digital World
In our rapidly evolving digital world, there is increasing concern about the impact of digital technologies such as social media on the mental health of young people. Policymakers and the public are nervous. Psychologists are facing mounting pressures to deliver evidence that can inform policies and practices to safeguard both young people and society at large. However, research progress is slow while technological change is accelerating. Dr Orben will reflect on this, both as a question of psychological science and metascience, during her talk.
Digital companies have designed innovative and highly popular environments that differ in important ways from the offline spaces humans have traditionally inhabited and interacted with. By revisiting the foundations of our psychological discipline – such as development and cognition – and considering how these digital changes to our environment impact pre-existing theories and findings, we can gain deeper insights into how digitalisation might impact important outcomes such as mental health. Dr Orben’s talk will discuss this from multiple methodological perspectives. On the one hand, developmental vulnerabilities that predispose young people to mental health conditions can be exacerbated by digital environments. On the other, digital designs can interact with cognitive and learning process, which can be formalised through computational approaches such as reinforcement learning or Bayesian modelling.
However, we also need to face deeper questions about what it means to do science about new technologies and the challenge of keeping pace with technological advancements. Dr Orben will therefore also discuss the concept of ‘fast science’: an approach discussed in philosophy of science where during crises scientists might lower their standards of evidence to come to conclusions quicker. Might psychologists want to take this approach in the face of technological change and looming concerns? Dr Orben will conclude her talk discussing this and other strategies for shaping 21st-century psychology to remain relevant in the era of digitalisation.
Prof. Dr. Joanna Moncrieff
University College London
Chemically Imbalanced: the making and unmaking of the serotonin myth
Abstract J. Moncrieff
Chemically Imbalanced: the making and unmaking of the serotonin myth
In 2022, my team and I published a paper that revealed to the public that the idea that depression is caused by a lack of serotonin is not supported by evidence. In this talk I describe how this idea was promoted by pharmaceutical industry campaigns, supported by the medical profession, and motivated by profit and professional concerns rather than science. I describe how the idea justified the widespread use of antidepressants and I propose a model that highlights the way these drugs change normal brain chemistry rather than correct underlying imbalances. Finally, I recount how the medical profession tried to defend the biological model of mental distress and what this model means for our understanding of mental health, emotional suffering and what it is to be human.
Robert Whitaker
Journalist & Author, USA
The Disease Model Has Failed. Now What?
Abstract R. Whitaker
The Disease Model Has Failed. Now What?
In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association adopted a “disease” model for categorizing and treating major mental disorders when it published DSM III, a model that was subsequently exported around the world. That form of care has failed: the chemical imbalance theory never panned out; long-term outcomes for medicated patients are poor; and the burden of psychiatric disorders has risen globally with the adoption of this paradigm of care. Experimental programs that are responsive to the social determinants of health and utilize psychiatric drugs in a selective manner are providing evidence for a paradigm shift in psychiatry.
Prof. Dr. Jessica Schleider
Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, USA
Disseminate scalable evidence-based mental health solutions
Abstract J. Schleider
Disseminate scalable evidence-based mental health solutions
The discrepancy between need and access to mental health support is incontestable. Due to provider shortages, high treatment costs, and myriad structural barriers, up to 80% of youth and 50% of adults with mental health needs go without services each year. Status-quo mental health systems will never meet population-level needs for support, creating a need for sustainable, scalable models of support. Single-session interventions (SSIs) are well-positioned to rapidly increase access to evidence-based supports at precise moments of need, both within and beyond formal healthcare systems. SSIs mitigate key treatment access-barriers: many are self-guided (requiring no therapist) or deliverable by non-professionals; web-based (completable from any location); and 5 to 60 minutes in length, eliminating premature treatment dropout. SSIs are also effective. To date, >400 randomized trials have shown their capacity to reduce mental health problems and increase uptake of further treatment, with sustained positive impacts up to nine months later. This presentation will overview recent scientific and clinical advances in developing and evaluating evidence-based SSIs for youth and adults, along with our research team’s multi-sector efforts to disseminate effective SSIs within and outside of traditional healthcare systems.
Prof. Dr. Rob Saunders
University College London
Improving Access to Psychological Treatments through Routine Clinical Data
Abstract R. Saunders
Improving Access to Psychological Treatments through Routine Clinical DataImproving Access to Psychological Treatments through Routine Clinical Data
Mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety disorders are increasing in prevalence globally, with far-reaching impacts across individuals, their relationships, and wider society. Economic costs, through both lost workplace productivity and increased healthcare resource use, further call for improved access to support. Whilst evidence-based treatments exist, many individuals are unable to access care, and for those who are able to receive treatment, a significant proportion of people do not respond to interventions provided.
This talk will discuss the ways in which routinely collected clinical data has, and can be, used to support the delivery of psychological treatments, generate clinical insights and support service improvement initiatives. Much of the talk will focus on individual patient records collected through the NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression programme (NHS TTad), which was formally known as IAPT. NHS TTad services deliver evidence-based psychological treatments for depression and anxiety disorders across England, with nearly 700,000 treatment episodes provided each year. Use of sessional outcome measurement has resulted in a large national dataset in which to examine inequalities in access and outcomes from services. Data-informed insights include the identification of patient characteristics that appear to be the most risk of poorer access and outcome, sub-groups of patients who benefit from additional support, and how clinical decision making around the measurement of symptoms and delivery of care can impact patient outcomes. The talk will conclude with a discussion of current developments in mental healthcare data linkage and access, which should provide wider opportunities for stakeholders to engage with routine data, as well as to upskill wider communities in using data analytics to improve the delivery of psychological treatment.
Tom Osborn
TED and Acumen Fellow, Nairobi, Kenia
Community driven mental health approaches in Sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract T. Osborn
Community driven mental health approaches in Sub-Saharan Africa
We are in the middle of a global mental health epidemic among young people. An estimated 250 million young people globally struggle with mental health problems. Most receive no help. The treatment gap exceeds 80% in low-resource settings — driven by two structural failures: we do not have enough providers, and existing treatments don’t work well enough.
Two advances offer a way forward: task-shifting — training non-professionals to deliver evidence-based care — and an expanded treatment toolkit that goes beyond traditional CBT to include strengths-based, transdiagnostic interventions deliverable in groups or digitally. Together, these advances have enabled tiered-care models that empower diverse workforces to provide effective treatments.
An example is the Shamiri model, which we have developed, tested, and scaled over seven years. This three-tier structure consists of non-professionals aged 18–24 delivering strengths-focused group interventions in community settings like schools; semi-professionals recruiting, training, and supervising them while providing moderate-intensity care; and licensed professionals managing complex and high-risk cases.
But how do we scale these interventions in an evidence-informed manner? Drawing from the science of scaling social innovations, we evaluated Shamiri against four thresholds. Is it good enough — does it produce meaningful, lasting change? Big enough — does it work across the diverse contexts where the problem exists? Cheap enough — is it affordable for the systems that would need to pay? And simple enough — can it be replicated by others outside of the research and founding team?
We describe how we developed the Shamiri model — beginning with a 51-person pilot in Africa’s largest urban slum and scaling to over 200,000 clients — iteratively optimizing against these thresholds, and what this reveals about designing mental health solutions that can close the treatment gap.
Prof. Dr. Shuyan Liu
Charité Berlin
Global Mental Health: Reigniting Inclusive Innovation
Abstract S. Liu
Global Mental Health: Reigniting Inclusive Innovation
Global mental health efforts increasingly emphasize innovation, yet much of the knowledge guiding research and practice remains rooted in Western values. This keynote highlights a need to critically examine how mental health is conceptualized, experienced, and assessed across diverse cultural settings. The frameworks developed in Western contexts have made important contributions to research and practice. However, they fail to capture the lived realities or the culturally specific expressions of mental and social health found in non-Western societies. I will underscore the importance of confronting these limitations as a prerequisite for broadening our evidence-base through inclusive and context-sensitive approaches. Furthermore, I will discuss how co-creation with communities, attention to lived experience, and an integration of locally grounded knowledge can foster more responsive forms of mental health innovation. By rethinking dominant concepts, measurement approaches, and innovation strategies, global mental health can move toward solutions that are inclusive, scalable, and transferable while remaining culturally meaningful and sustainable across diverse settings.
