Earlier this year, the Psychiatry Institute at Hospital das Clínicas launched the National Center for Research and Innovation in Mental Health (CISM), aimed at researching the environmental and genetic factors linked to mental disorders and the effectiveness of mental health apps. This initiative is supported by Banco Industrial do Brasil (BIB) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

The Center will have two hubs in the São Paulo countryside, in Indaiatuba and Jaguariúna, where 27 Primary Care Units (UBS) will develop studies with the population, within the CISM guidelines.

There will be three strategic axes, which were considered as priorities by the researchers. The first will seek to understand how environmental and genetic factors affect the development of children and adolescents. The second axis will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of technologies in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. According to a study published in 2020 in the JMIR mHealth Uhealth magazine, which specializes in medical technology, only 2% of cell phone apps aimed at maintaining mental health have a scientific basis, which makes the gathering of information on this topic fundamental.

Speeding up the implementation of new discoveries in public health is CISM’s third front of action, which seeks to help reduce the time between scientific research and clinical practice. In partnership with UniEduK, the Center will provide patients from the 27 Primary Care Units with the Conemo app, indicated for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia and already tested in experimental studies in Brazil and Peru.

An investment of 40 million reais was received for the creation of CISM.  The Center will also offer 120 scientific initiation scholarships, 19 PhD scholarships, 6 post-doctoral scholarships, and 2 vacancies for USP Psychiatry professors.