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Our research is made possible by young people who generously share their time and experiences, helping us better understand mental health and improve support for youth facing serious challenges.
Social and Emotional Processes in Young People Experiencing Psychotic-Like Experiences
Research experts in the study of psychotic disorders view experiences on a continuum, suggesting that mild, nonclinical psychotic-like experiences, which are common in the general population, fall on the lower end of this continuum. Psychotic-like experiences are unusual perceptions such as hearing one’s name being called or seeing a shadow in the corner of one’s eye which are infrequent and tend to have minimal distress or impairment associated with them. It is estimated that about 7% report occasional hallucinations or unusual thoughts among those without any significant clinical disorders. While these experiences are common, we want to better understand how they impact social and emotional functioning in young people.
This research study is recruiting youth ages 18-25 who are experiencing unusual thoughts and perceptual changes (e.g., seeing shadows, hearing one’s name being called) that are relatively infrequent but noticeable to understand the interplay of social and emotional processes. This paid study involves answering questions about thoughts, emotions, experiences, and behaviors, and completing computer and speech tasks.
Neurodevelopmental Processes in Youth Enriched for Severe Mental Illness (coming soon!)
This study will seek to improve our understanding of neurodevelopmental processes in youth with risk symptoms of severe mental illness.
1) One goal of this study is to understand neurodevelopmental processes that unfold during adolescence in youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis. CHR youth experience early signs and symptoms of psychopathology, such as hearing whispers or seeing shadows, and changes in emotional experiences that are noticeable, distressing, and interfere with daily tasks and social interactions.
2) Another goal of this study is to understand neurodevelopmental processes that unfold during adolescence in youth with anhedonia, which refers to reduced interest, pleasure, or motivation in activities that are usually enjoyable. Anhedonia is common across many forms of psychopathology and can affect how young people experience motivation, pleasure, and social connection.
This study will be recruiting adolescents and young adults ages 14–19 who are experiencing these early signs and symptoms, as well as their peers without these experiences, for comparison. Participation will include clinical interviews about thoughts, emotions, experiences, and behaviors, filling out questionnaires, completing computer tasks, an MRI scan of the brain, and hormone sampling.