Learn about participating in psychiatry research and explore our open studies.
The integration of patient care and clinical research has been a hallmark of the Department of Psychiatry for more than 30 years.
Over the years, there has been an enormous expansion in the overall volume of research in the department and associated research funding—with more than $50 million in research programs last year alone—as well as a gradual shift in funding from pharmaceutical sponsorship to federal and foundation funding. The department has cultivated highly productive clinical and research programs focused on each of the major domains of mental health and psychopathology:
Each program is staffed by expert clinical researchers and clinicians working together to care for patients and conduct cutting-edge clinical research. In addition, our neuroscience, neuroimaging and genetic research programs include clinical and translational researchers whose work is informed and motivated by the unmet needs of our patient populations.
This research is making it possible to pinpoint affected areas of the brain; understand inherited risk factors and the role of environmental stress; develop more effective psychotherapies, medications and neurotherapeutic treatments; and ultimately to prevent these illnesses from occurring by intervening early.
Our neuroscience, neuroimaging and genetic research programs include clinical and translational researchers whose work is informed and motivated by the unmet needs of our patient populations. Our programs include:
The model of integrating clinical work and research is evident even in the names of the department’s major programs, such as the “Depression Clinical and Research Program,” the “Bipolar Clinic and Research Program,” and the “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic and Research Unit.” Our programs include:
Clinical researchers in our department have had leadership roles in landmark national studies of the course, genetics and treatment of major psychiatric disorders. This includes a series of federally funded treatment studies begun in the late 1990s and a wide variety of other national programs.
The breadth and depth of our psychiatric research continues to grow despite the challenges of an uncertain funding environment. From its roots as a department known for its contributions in consultation-liaison psychiatry and psychopharmacology with little external funding, the Department of Psychiatry now has 60 active research programs and laboratories. In particular, the department has established highly productive research programs in three cross-cutting domains:
U.S. News & World Report rates Mass General Psychiatry the top in the nation.
Advances in Motion highlights the latest breakthroughs, research and clinical trials from Mass General.
We provide care for patients of any age throughout the lifespan.
For 80 years, Mass General's Psychiatry Department has provided the highest quality patient care through pioneering research.
Research has shown that integrating anything at this scale into human daily life could lead to overuse and addiction. So what does all this screentime mean for our long-term mental and physical health?
Could early-life childhood adversity such as trauma, socio-economic hardship, or parental illness have an impact mental health and resilience later in life?
In this large-scale comparative effectiveness trial, researchers demonstrated the equivalence of delivering early palliative care via video versus in-person visits on quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer.
The Mass General Addiction Recovery Management Service (ARMS) addresses gaming, gambling and problematic digital technology use in young adults.
In a double-blind, randomized, cross-over study of adults who use cannabis regularly, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital assessed participants’ brain activity under the influence of THC (the main psychoactive component in cannabis) versus placebo.
Advanced meditation and related experiences offer new possibilities for improving mental health and well-being.
To find out more about our research, clinical services, schedule an appointment or refer a patient, contact the Department of Psychiatry.
