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Research

Research
Research

A leader in psychiatry research and behavioral health care

The research mission of the Center for Youth Mental Health at NewYork-Presbyterian is to advance our understanding of what causes mental health illnesses in adolescents and young adults and conduct innovative research that will ultimately transform patient care.

Our faculty combined with the faculty of the Departments of Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Weill Cornell Medicine, are recognized leaders in psychiatric research. They are experts in their fields of inquiry and education programs and share the goal of improving our understanding of mental health conditions and anxiety disorders to better manage and develop effective treatments.

Psychiatry clinical trials

Patients of all ages have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials exploring the biology of psychiatric conditions or evaluating potentially more effective treatments. Recent clinical studies have focused on anxiety and other disorders including bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Learn what clinical trials we are currently conducting:

Participating in a clinical trial

If there is a clinical trial currently underway that would be of benefit, a member of our staff will fully explain the study to you and your child in a process called informed consent to be sure you completely understand the study goals, design, and what is required of participants. Once the details of the study are known, you and your child can decide on whether to participate. The decision to enroll in a clinical trial is entirely voluntary. If you sign up and change your mind, you can withdraw at any time.

Laboratory research

Despite advances in neuroscience, much remains to be discovered about the biology of the brain and the fundamental mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions. Laboratory investigators at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine are conducting game-changing research to glean new insights into the biology of the mind. The findings generated by their studies may lead to clinical trials of more effective therapies that help patients with psychiatric disorders not only at NewYork-Presbyterian and the Center for Youth Mental Health but around the world.

Learn more about our research labs, projects, and publications here:

Why is research for mental health so important

Research is key to transforming the next generation of treatments for mental health disorders. Everything we know today about how to diagnose and treat mental health disorders is the result of research studies completed over the past 25 years. Regrettably, not all patients affected by mental health disorders benefit from current treatments which is why continued research is so important. More information will help us better understand the brain mechanisms that lead to mental health symptoms, and ultimately identify new treatments that target these brain mechanisms.

Research Funding

Historically, the primary funding source for clinical research has been through federal funding, or grants, which have severely declined over the past several years.  For this reason, philanthropy has become absolutely critical to launching innovative research projects. The findings through these creative resources can then be used to leverage subsequent federal funding.

Private funding through the generosity of the Center for Youth Mental Health's donors, has been helping to drive the kind of high-risk high-reward research that may change the lives and end the suffering that psychiatric illnesses bring to so many. Without our donors, we would not be making progress both clinically and in the laboratory, yet so much more needs to be done.

More information on supporting the Center for Youth Mental Health