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Research area

Adolescence and young adulthood are among the most vulnerable phases in the human lifespan for the development of mental disorders, particularly affective and psychotic disorders.

The majority of affected individuals only receive psychiatric or psychotherapeutic support once the illness has already manifested. Therefore, the aim of our research group is to improve access to psychiatric care for young adults, to establish low-threshold early interventions, and to strengthen preventive psychiatry. With early, guideline-based, and sufficient treatment, severe and chronic courses of mental illness can be prevented or mitigated. We use practice-oriented methods of clinical research to improve diagnostic and therapeutic options for young adults with mental disorders in the long term.

Additionally, we address aspects of digital psychiatry like Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen (DiGA) and collaborate with the Interdisziplinäre AG Digitale Medizin (iAGDM) at the University of Würzburg.

Team

Head

• Dr. med. Matthias Nieberler
  E-Mail: nieberler_m@ ukw.de

Research associates

• Dr. rer. nat. Catherina Klüpfel
  E-Mail: kluepfel_c@ ukw.de
• Melanie Schroll, M.Sc.
  E-Mail: schroll_m@ ukw.de
• Beatrice Michels, M.Sc.
  E-Mail: michels_b@ ukw.de

Study assistants

• Christiane Rieß
  E-Mail: riess_c@ ukw.de

Current projects

CARE: Psychotic disorders often manifest in young adulthood and are among the most severe and cost-intensive mental illnesses. As part of the CARE project ("Computer-Assistierte Risiko-Evaluation zur Früherkennung psychotischer Störungen"), we use machine learning methods to assess the individual risk of developing a manifest psychosis in people with an increased risk. To do this, we use multimodal clinical data gathered through standardized interviews, neuropsychological assessments, or morphological brain imaging (MRI). Based on the risk assessment, participants receive a tailored, preventive early treatment that includes six months of psychotherapy. The aim of the project is to prevent the onset of psychosis, alleviate the course of illness, and improve social and occupational functioning. The CARE project is conducted as a multicenter, randomized controlled trial at 20 sites across Germany with the involvement of public health insurers. In Würzburg, we are collaborating with our Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for CARE. The study is coordinated by the LVR Clinic of Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and is funded with approximately €9.5 million by the Innovationsfond des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschuss (G-BA). 

Further information can be found here.

MOODY: MOODY ("Mood Disorders in Young Adults") is a modularized cognitive-behavioral therapy program developed under the lead of Prof. Sarah Kittel-Schneider at the University Hospital of Würzburg in cooperation with the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital of Dresden. The manual is designed as a transdiagnostic group therapy focusing on affective disorders in young adulthood. It covers eight thematic modules addressing common topics such as emotions, skills, and problem-solving. The goals of this collaborative project are the scientific evaluation, validation, and further development of the manual.

Publications

Publications can be found on pubmed or in the publication list of our clinic.