New Science of Mental Disorders
The New Science of Mental Disorders consortium (NSMD) focusses on the network of symptoms that constitute a mental disorder. Is it possible to improve treatments by focussing on these symptoms? With the help of a Gravitation grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), NSMD brings together researchers from seven Dutch universities. Maastricht University’s professor Anita Jansen is the scientific director.
Fast facts
- 10 year research programme, since 2020
- Funded by NWO’s ‘Zwaartekracht’ grant
- 6 Principal Investigators
- Leading organisations: Leiden University, University of Amsterdam and Maastricht University
- Led by Anita Jansen
Research
The project consists of three coherent layers of research: mapping, zooming and targeting. The focus of all research, and in all layers, is on a radical new approach to mental disorders: the network approach. Additionally, there are six teams, each led by a PI from either Leiden, Amsterdam or Maastricht:
- Team Network
- Team Emotional Memory
- Team Disordered Desires
- Team Mind-body Interface
- Team Cognitive Control
- Team Communicating Networks
Mission
The ultimate goal of New Science of Mental Disorders (NSMD) is to improve the treatment of mental disorders. To do this, we first need a better understanding of the clinical picture of disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction, eating disorders, and so on. Around one in four adults and one in ten children suffer from a mental disorder at some point. But in half of these cases, treatment is not successful in the long term. We believe that this is partly due to the way in which these disorders have been viewed until now.
Laurens Kemp
While one person is more sensitive to negative experiences, another focuses more on the positive. Within NSMD, PhD student Laurens Kemp investigates whether such different learning styles play a role in the development of mental disorders.
Alberto Jover Martínez
Three hundred students will answer around thirty-five questions nine times per day for four weeks. The Student Mapping Study is a prelude to the NSMD study with patients with mental disorders, which is due to start in 2022. PhD candidate Alberto Jover Martínez talks about the preparation and the goal.
Gita Nadinda
There was a time when Gita Nadinda thought that pain simply is what it is. Until she learned about chronic pain and the effect of mindset, and social environment can have on pain. It lead to a master’s programme in Health Psychology in Maastricht, followed by her current PhD within NSMD. Where does she stand, a year after she started?