Reason To Be Cheerful in the South West

A £3.6 million centre to carry out world-leading research into depression is opening at Exeter University.

The Sir Henry Wellcome Building for Mood Disorders Research will treat up to 400 people a year in state-of-the-art facilities, as it carries out experimental and applied clinical research into mood disorders. 

The Mood Disorders Centre (MDC) is a partnership between the NHS and the University of Exeter. It provides a centre for psychological research, assessment, treatment and training that aims to benefit all people who suffer from mood disorders. The MDC benefits from good NHS links, with a specialist treatment service for severe and recurrent depression commissioned by the Devon Primary Care Trust (PCT).

Director and Co-founder of the Mood Disorders Centre, Professor Ed Watkins said: “This building is the culmination of eight years of work which started in 2004 when the Mood Disorders Centre was founded. We are grateful to the Wellcome Trust for funding what we believe to be amongst the best facilities for psychological treatment research anywhere in the world.

“Common mental health disorders are a major global health challenge, with an estimated 121 million people worldwide suffering from depression. The Mood Disorders Centre seeks to address this challenge by bringing together world-class clinical training and research to develop understanding into mood disorders, translate that understanding into new approaches to treatment and make  these new treatments widely accessible and available to patients in a cost-effective way.'

The Centre is already known globally for its research into specific features of depression and has already helped with the national guidelines on the treatment of depression.

Co-founder Professor Willem Kuyken has been talking to Wendy Buckingham about the centre.  CLICK HERE

It will also help train the next generation of clinical researchers and practitioners.  The University of Exeter recently launched the UK’s first Applied Psychology (Clinical) degree, which has been awarded dual accreditation from the British Psychological Society, both as a psychology degree and for a training component that supports eligibility for professional accreditation as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner shortly after graduation.

The public can see the centre for themselves on Saturday March 31st..