Millions of people experience mental health challenges each year, yet many never receive the care, support or resources they need.
Mental health is essential to overall well-being, shaping how we think, feel, and connect with others. Conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression can touch every part of daily life, from relationships to physical health.
In recognition of the importance of mental health, we asked investigators from Mass General Brigham how they are using technology and other innovative scientific techniques to address mental health challenges what they hope their research will mean for patients.
Improving Mental Health Outcomes Through Digital Technology
Sabine Wilhelm, PhD
Chief of Psychology, Mass General Brigham (MGB)
Director, Center for Digital Mental Health, MGH
Donovan-Chien Family Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Wilhelm has developed or is currently testing smartphone-based treatments for depression, anxiety, suicidality, OCD, and body dysmorphic disorder.
She is currently working on AI-supported approaches to enhance the detection of high-risk behaviors and suicidality, machine learning algorithms to match patients with treatments, and generative AI to support more personalized and effective interventions.
Sabine Wilhelm, PhD
"I hope my work in AI and digital mental health will transform how care is delivered by enabling scalable, data‑informed interventions that extend beyond the clinic.
"The goal is to improve patient outcomes while supporting health systems in delivering effective mental health care to more people"
Using Technology to Better Understand Suicide Risk
Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School Dr. Liu's research program focuses on characterizing dynamic processes of risk underlying onset and recurrence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and depression in youth and young adults.
Richard Liu, PhD
"Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults, and rates have climbed approximately 62% over the past two decades.
Reducing Suffering from Anxiety Disorders
Courtney Beard, PhD
Director, Cognition and Affect Research and Education (CARE) Laboratory, McLean Hospital
Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry
Dr. Beard’s research aims to delineate cognitive and affective mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders and to develop treatments to target these mechanisms.
She is a clinical psychologist with expertise in anxiety disorders and cognitive behavior therapy.
Courtney Beard, PhD
"The ultimate goal of my research is to reduce suffering for the over 40 million people in the US and over 350 million worldwide currently struggling with anxiety disorders.
"While we have excellent therapies for anxiety, few people are able to access these intensive treatments. Thus, my lab creates simple tools that people can actually use in the real world."
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