The Depression Grand Challenge is part of a project investigating the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) using STAND content to improve the effectiveness of depression treatment. Led by Ed Watkins, PhD, a clinical psychologist from University of Exeter, and sponsored by Wellcome, a global charitable organization that funds discovery research, the Calming Minds project was designed in response to a 2022 Wellcome request for proposals focused on investigating the mechanisms underpinning interventions for depression, anxiety and psychosis.
The project, a large-scale factorial trial, seeks to measure how changes in STAND content (e.g., changes in sequence and prominence of certain strategies) may affect the intervention’s effectiveness for repetitive negative thinking. Identifying which changes make the most impact on participants’ symptoms may help improve effectiveness of future STAND content and other digital mental health interventions.
The initial phase of the Calming Minds project, scheduled to continue until Dec. 2025, is focused on developing digital approaches to cognitive behavioral strategies for managing repetitive negative thinking (e.g., being present, getting specific, self-compassion, changing habits). The clinical trial is slated to begin in Jan. 2026, through which the various iterations will be tested in the United Kingdom and in California at the Imperial Valley College. DGC Co-Director Michelle Craske, PhD, serves as UCLA’s lead investigator, overseeing the production and delivery of STAND content and the clinical trial involving Imperial Valley College students.
While UCLA has been collaborating with the University of Exeter on this proposal and project since 2022, its primary work began in Spring 2024.
Wellcome is the world’s first large-scale, independent research funder to prioritize mental health science at scale, with 200 million pounds ($252.6 million) dedicated to mental health science over five years, according to Miranda Wolpert, director of mental health at Wellcome. Mental health is one of three urgent global health challenges, that Wellcome wants to address in the next 30 years. Visit the Wellcome website.
