What’s the project?
Early signs of depression, anxiety and psychosis, such as disrupted sleep or big changes in day-to-day activity, often show up in a person’s rest and activity patterns before they’re noticed during a doctor’s appointment. Many people already wear an activity tracker (like a Fitbit) that quietly record this information every day, but an easy way to turn all that data into useful insights is currently lacking.
A research team based at Imperial College London are building RISE UP, a free, open-source and ethically approved tool that will analyse activity-tracker data to spot patterns linked to mental health risks. Over nine months, funded by the Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize, the team will build and test the tool using real data from pre-existing databases, such as ALSPAC, AoU, BiB and RADAR-MDD. Different ethnic backgrounds, countries of origin, ages and genders will be accounted for.
The aim is to help people, doctors and researchers spot early warning signs sooner so that support can be offered earlier, ultimately improving outcomes for young people at risk of depression, anxiety and psychosis. Using the app, your data will not be shared with third parties without your consent and will be stored locally on your personal device.
Find out more
The research team, with a researcher from Kings College London leading the LEAP are recruiting young people to join the RISE UP Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). As a LEAP member, your feedback will directly shape the tool, including:
- how results and visualisations are presented, so they’re clear and easy to understand
- how the research team can explain the tool’s outputs so people can trust them
- the design of the dashboard and how the tool is described to users
- how the research team can communicate our findings to researchers, policymakers and the public
The panel will meet six times over the nine-month project, held online or in a hybrid format. No research or technical background is needed, just an interest in mental health and in helping shape something that could genuinely make a difference.
- Must be based in the UK
- Up to 30 years of age
- Personal experience of depression, anxiety and/or psychosis (directly, or through someone close to you)
- An interest in mental health research and/or how technology is used in healthcare (no technical background required)
- Able to commit to six online/hybrid meetings across the nine-month project
LEAP members will be paid for their time and contribution, in line with the Wellcome Mental Health Data Prize’s involvement guidelines. You will receive a total of £180 for your contribution, calculated at £30 per meeting. You will also receive dedicated support throughout the project from our lived experience lead. Involvement will be shaped around your own strengths and interests so that you can contribute in whatever way works best for you.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please email [email protected] with brief answers to the following questions:
- What is your name?
- What is your date of birth?
- Are you based in the UK?
- Do you have personal experience with depression, anxiety and/or psychosis, or has someone close to you experienced them? Could you tell us about your experience?
- Why are you interested in this specific opportunity?
- Have you ever worked on a LEAP panel or something similar? Please give details of any relevant experience
- Sometimes after talking about topics like mental health, people feel they need a little extra support or someone to chat to. What support do you currently have in place (e.g. supportive friends, family, health professionals or mental health charities)? Is there anything that the RISE UP team could do to support you or make your involvement experience better?
- How did you hear about this opportunity?
You are welcome to send your responses in audio or video format if preferred. If you need any help completing your expression of interest, you can get in touch with Sarah Markham ([email protected])
9.00am on Friday, 1st January 2027
Please note that the McPin Foundation regularly promotes opportunities on behalf of other institutions; we are not responsible for the continuation or contents of further correspondence with any project partners where we are not listed as the project main point of contact.
