The Mental Health & Psychological Sciences is at the forefront of International scientific research. Each of the four departments that make up the School are leaders in their field and carry out research in the following areas:
The SGDP department’s focus is on common psychiatric disorders that emerge in childhood such as mood disorders (anxiety and depression), ‘externalising’ disorders (disruptive behaviour including hyperactivity and addictions), and cognitive disorders (learning disabilities and the autistic spectrum). Scientists at the SGDP lead some of the UK’s foremost longitudinal cohort and twin studies including TEDS, eRISK, Dunedin, IMAGEN and GLAD. Collaborative interdisciplinary research and training are the hallmarks of the SGDP, with research encompassing behavioural genetics, molecular genetics, experimental psychology and psychiatry, and neuroimaging.
The Department has been a major force in the development of quantitative methodology as applied to mental health research, with significant national and international collaborations and with growing impact into all areas of medicine particularly through expertise in trials and software development.
The overall goal of the Health Service & Population Research (HSPR) Department is to conduct world-leading research and education using the social and health sciences to better understand and to improve health outcomes, systems, and care, both locally and globally, particularly in disadvantaged and marginalised populations.
For over 60 years, the Department of Psychology has been at the forefront of research into clinical practice. Its research interests span a wide range of mental health disorders and physical health problems, including anxiety disorders, trauma, somatoform disorders, pain, psychosis, depression, antisocial personality, disorders in childhood and adolescence, emotion and personality, and neurodegeneration.