Mental Health and Wellbeing

Understanding mental health demands a developmental perspective. Many mental health conditions show their first signs before adulthood, and even challenges in later life may be shaped by experiences in childhood and adolescence. An increasing number of young people require help of some kind at a time when resources and respect for mental health cannot always be relied upon.  Better understanding of the challenges young people face, and how best to support them, is more crucial than ever.

At Durham we recognise that mental health goes beyond the clinic and affects every aspect of life, including managing with work and school, interacting with technology, and managing relationships. We aim to conduct our research as a partnership, in collaboration with young people and those who support them.

Our research is wide-ranging, including work on anxiety, early psychosis, trauma, and eating disorders. Dr Liz Evans and Prof Lynda Boothroyd lead our work on body image and the different ways that social and cultural factors influence young people in their formative years. Prof Ben Alderson-Day conducts research on how young people manage hallucinations and other unusual experiences when they first emerge, including the development of LIVV, a new app for young people who hear voices. 

Drawing on our expertise within the Centre for Neurodiversity and Development, we also pay close attention to the intersections of neurodivergence and mental ill health. Integral to Prof Mary Hanley’s research is the role of anxiety in the school experience of neurodivergent children, affecting what happens both inside the classroom and beyond. Dr Amy Pearson and Dr Monique Botha explore how challenging interpersonal relationships and experiences of victimisation and dehumanisation affect autistic people, all of which have crucial consequences for mental health and wellbeing. 

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To be updated shortly.