The Research Room

Pivoting in a Pandemic: Delivering Remote Support for Socially Isolated Older Adults

Did you know that persistent loneliness is as damaging to your physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day? For the final episode of our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Dr Liz Littlewood and Professor Simon Gilbody from the University of York to explore the BASIL project. This massive research initiative stepped up during a global crisis to tackle a critical but overlooked issue: the mental health, depression, and rising isolation of older adults. Listen as we discuss the incredible journey of adapting brief psychological support into a fully remote, "telephone-first" intervention. We dive into how behavioural activation helps people reconnect with what brings value to their lives, stripping away "psychobabble" to keep things straightforward and co-produced alongside experts and users. They also share the historic scale of the BASIL+ trial, the largest ever randomised controlled trial of its kind, and how its positive results are shaping the future of NHS care by moving from treatment to prevention. Tune in to find out how a brief series of 30-minute phone calls managed to create a sustained reduction in depression 12 months down the line, and stick around for the end to hear a joke from the TV show Friends!   Find out more about BASIL: https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/projects/basil/https://sites.google.com/nihr.ac.uk/basil/ [https://sites.google.com/nihr.ac.uk/basil/] Read the results paper:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666756823002386 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666756823002386]   Music by Matthew Bailey

Co-Production in Custody: Creating a Mental Health Toolkit for Older Prisoners

How can digging into the past protect the future of mental health for older people in custody? For the next episode in our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Professor Amanda Perry and Professor John Schofield to explore the PAMHOP project. This pioneering feasibility study is tackling a critical but overlooked issue: the mental and physical wellbeing of older people in custody by introducing co-produced, interactive workshops directly in prison sites. Listen as we discuss the massive gap in current research including a systematic review that did not find a single randomized controlled trial for this demographic. We dive into how the team designed and delivered custom interactive sessions, from archaeology activities to craft sessions and book clubs, with the goal of improving overall wellbeing. They also share how these insights are being used to develop a dedicated toolkit, providing prisons with a concrete framework to support mental and physical health of older people in custody.  Tune in to find out what happened when a workshop unexpectedly turned into a group song, and see how collaborating with the Prison Radio Association is amplifying the voices and restoring the confidence of people in custody!   Find out more about PAMHOP: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/projects/physical-mental-health-older-prisoners/ [https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/projects/physical-mental-health-older-prisoners/]   Music by Matthew Bailey

Support2Work: Tackling the £200 Billion Mental Health Crisis

With nearly 2.9 million people in the UK now economically inactive due to illness, how can we balance the drive for national productivity with the personal need for mental health recovery?   For the next episode in our mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Professor Rowena Jacobs and Professor Lina Gega to discuss the Support2Work project. This comprehensive national evaluation is investigating the impact of placing employment advisors directly into NHS Talking Therapies to help individuals navigate work-related challenges alongside their psychological treatment.   Listen as we chat about the staggering £200 billion annual cost of economic inactivity and whether combining practical job support with therapy offers better value for taxpayers than therapy alone. We explore the unique "UK-specific" nature of this crisis and how the team is using a mixed methods analysis and an elephant analogy to translate complex health economics into life-changing policy.   Tune in to hear how the project’s name, suggested by a service user, won over our hosts, and how these practical pathways to impact are helping to bridge the gap between clinical care and the labour market!   Find out more about Support2work: https://www.york.ac.uk/che/mental-health/support2work/ [https://www.york.ac.uk/che/mental-health/support2work/]

The SPiRiT-D Project: Transforming Mental Health Support in Pakistan

In settings where mental health specialists are scarce, how can we ensure patients get the care they need?   For our first episode in our May mental health mini-series, we’re joined by Dr Mehreen Faisal and Karen Coales to discuss the SPiRiT-D project. This innovative hybrid trial is bridging the mental health treatment gap in Pakistan by testing a collaborative care model to deliver evidence-based talking therapy with non-mental health professionals.   Listen as we chat about how to reach underserved communities, and how the team has culturally adapted their support to ensure it resonates with local patients. Stick around for our random research questions to find out why a little 'Chaos and Patience' is all you need to change the world of mental health!   Find out more about SPiRiT-D: https://www.impactsouthasia.com/  [https://www.impactsouthasia.com/]  Read the Protocol Paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13063-026-09453-5 [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13063-026-09453-5]    Music by Matthew Bailey

On the Road at the ARC Mental Health Prevention Conference

Is an ounce of prevention really worth a pound of cure when it comes to mental health?  That’s the big question we’re tackling this week as we go on the road! We’ve left the comfort of The Research Room studio and headed to The Milner Hotel in York for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC)’s An ounce of prevention: How can the NHS make a transition towards prevention in mental health? Event. With the NHS 10-Year Plan officially prioritising a shift toward preventative mental health care, we wanted to find out how researchers are working hard to make this happen. Armed with our brand-new portable mics, and with the fantastic help of Emma Standley and Heidi Benyair we joined a packed house of leading experts and researchers to bring you insights from a fantastic range of projects.   Find out more about the ARC Yorkshire & Humber: https://arc-yh.nihr.ac.uk/ [https://arc-yh.nihr.ac.uk/] Find our more about the Mental Health and Addiction Research Group (MHARG) at the University of York: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/ [https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/]    Featured Interviews: * 01:00 Professor Simon Gilbody - What is the day all about? Prevention in Mental Health: Aligning Evidence and the 10 Year Plan * 04:00 Kate Robinson Knowledge Mobilisation Lead in the ARC with Yorkshire and Humber. Find out more: https://arc-yh.nihr.ac.uk/training/an-introduction-to-knowledge-mobilisation-practical-training/ [https://arc-yh.nihr.ac.uk/training/an-introduction-to-knowledge-mobilisation-practical-training/]  * 08:31 Professor John Wright (Director of Bradford Institute of Health Research) Chief Investigator of Born in Bradford Project. Find out more: https://borninbradford.nhs.uk/ [https://borninbradford.nhs.uk/]  * 11:36 Dr Ruth Wadman (University of Bradford)  - Promoting Positive Adolescent Mental Health (PPAMH!) for School Climate - Feasibility Trial. Find out more: https://borninbradford.nhs.uk/what-we-do/studies/promoting-positive-adolescent-mental-health/ [https://borninbradford.nhs.uk/what-we-do/studies/promoting-positive-adolescent-mental-health/]  * 15:56 Kim Bevan and Amy Bedingham  from Tend VR - Feasibility and efficacy of a Virtual Reality Mindfulness Based Intervention for depression and anxiety. Find out more: https://www.tendmentalhealth.com/ [https://www.tendmentalhealth.com/]  * 21:58 Dr John Pickavance (Bradford Institute for Health Research)   The  IRL Trial : A School-Based RCT Investigating the Effects of Social Media Restrictions on the Mental Health of Under-16s (12-15 year olds) Find out More: https://bradfordresearch.nhs.uk/the-irl-trial/ [https://bradfordresearch.nhs.uk/the-irl-trial/]  * 25:55 Professor Dave McDaid  (Associate Professor at the London School of Economics)  - The Economics of Prevention: Is an ounce of Prevention Worth a Pound of Cure? Making the economic case for investing in prevention.  Find out more: https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/david-mcdaid [https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/david-mcdaid]  * 28:22 Professor Scott Welch and Dr Joe Hulin (Research Fellow in Mental Health at the University of Sheffield) - Improving Suicide Prevention in Primary Care * 35:01 Professor Claire Henderson (King’s College London) RECOLLECT - Recovery Colleges Characterising and Testing  . An adult education approach for learning to live with mental health conditions. Find out more: https://www.researchintorecovery.com/research/recollect/ [https://www.researchintorecovery.com/research/recollect/]  * 45:17 Dr Philip Kerrigan (University of York)  From Manual to Mobile: A Digital Behavioural Activation Tool to Improve Mood in Adolescents During and Post-Therapy. The COMBAT Trial. Find out more: https://combatdepression.org/ [https://combatdepression.org/]  * 52:24 Dr Trish Darcy - Nature-based Interventions to support mental health- Natural Environments and Health       * 54:27 Dr Colin Palmer (Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health) Breath Education: Building youth mental health prevention infrastructure in schools. Find out more: https://breathe-edu.co.uk/ [https://breathe-edu.co.uk/]  * 58: 25 Eloise Ryde and Pip Shaw -  PRIMROSE : Evaluating interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in people living with severe mental illness * 61:01 Aaron Wood and Stephanie Matteo (Seven Hills Research Clinic) Tertiary Prevention in Mood Disorders: establishing a specialist research clinic * 65:09 Jo Orchard - Organiser of the event. * 65:35 Professor Simon Gilbody  - A summary of the day. Music by Matthew Bailey