An Aviva-backed project led by The Foundation for Young People’s Mental Health (YPMH) and researchers at Cambridge University is exploring new methods of prevention, early intervention, diagnosis and treatment of depression in young people.
Following the first two years of the project, the YPMH in collaboration with the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) and IfM Engage have published the Changing Hearts, Changing Minds report.
The report has joined up different areas of research into depression among young people and used IfM’s innovation methods to explore new approaches to prevention, early intervention, diagnosis and treatment of depression in young people.
It also explains that depression is not “all in the mind” but arises from a complex set of factors across someone’s life, including:
- The body’s biological systems, in particular, nervous, endocrine and immune systems; gut health; genes and how they are turned on or off
- Underlying health conditions
- Choices and actions regarding diet, exercise, sleep, and substance use
- Economic, emotional, social, community and physical environments
- Psychological factors such as perceptions of stress and the effectiveness of an individual’s coping strategies
- Adverse changes to the body during critical life stages from in utero to young adulthood.
Using these factors, the report identifies interventions that aim to stop development of first-episode depression, help people recover from depression or prevent the recurrence of depression.
The second phase of the project, funded by the Aviva foundation, will build on the findings of the report to further understand how depression develops, particularly in young people aged up to 25, and identify what needs to be done to translate the ideas for interventions into practice.
The work will be conducted by Dr Olivia Remes with consultation from YPMH and collaborative workshops with key stakeholders across the mental health sector.
The next phase will focus on how the interventions can be applied in three key areas including:
- Self-care by individuals and their families
- The healthcare system
- Wider mental health support such as from schools, employers and mental health support charities.
Aviva said it was keen to support the project with its focus on early intervention for individuals to improve their future health and wellbeing outcomes.
Dr Doug Wright, medical director of Aviva UK Health, said it’s clinical and innovation teams have participated in the project which clearly identifies novel approaches to understanding and addressing depression as it develops in young people.
“Aviva is keen to see these exciting ideas translated into real solutions and healthcare policy to help those young people who are suffering, their families and carers,” he said.
“Aviva is supporting the follow-on project to help fast-track the development and adoption of the most promising ideas.”
Professor Peter Jones, professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and chair of the project steering group, said: “More young people than ever are suffering from depression, but treatments have changed little in the last 30 years.
“This project has resulted in a better understanding of the complex pathways that connect an individual’s environment, diet, exercise, sleep, use of substances and underlying health conditions with their biological systems – and how all of these factors have a part to play in the development of depression.”
Peter Templeton, executive director of strategic development at IfM Engage and founder of YPMH, added: “I hope that this project will, indeed, change hearts and minds and lead to new approaches to the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of depression in young people, and that these new approaches will lead to improved mental health outcomes for young people and their families.
“I sincerely hope this project will be the pebble at the top of a mountain that causes an avalanche of positive change.”