Digital Mental Health Management (MHM)

Group Leader: Prof. Dr. Birgit Kleim

Group Members: Dr. Marcus Grüschow, Dr. Stephanie Homan, Dr. Marta Marciniak

MHM uses modern technology to improve the prediction, prevention and treatment of stress-related mental health conditions, such as anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our work builds on unique research expertise on resilience and stress management across the lifespan, and innovative technology, such as passive sensing, digital mental health monitoring and management, feedback, and just-in-time adaptive interventions. MHM conducts multi-disciplinary and applied research on stress, resilience, and stress and resilience management across the lifespan. Central to our approach is interdisciplinarity. We believe that our results and science-based products are so much better when expertise and knowledge from different perspectives and disciplines are brought in, taking innovation to a new level. MHM uses real life behavioral and experiential longitudinal data streams in clinical and non-clinical individuals and combines them with state-of-the-art mental health assessment tools. By collecting such data, we contribute to the HLC's most important data source, which can then be used to feedback and launch new developments.

Selected Publications

Paersch, Christina; Recher, Dominique; Schulz, Ava; Heininger, Mirka; Schlup, Barbara; Künzler, Florian; Homan, Stephanie; Kowatsch, Tobias; Fisher, Aaron; Horn, Andrea B; Kleim, Birgit (2025). Self-efficacy effects on symptom experiences in daily life and early treatment success in anxiety patients. Clinical Psychological Science, 13(1):178-194.

Baumberger, Carina; Wieber, Frank; Pauli, Carole; Loosli, Daniela; Kleim, Birgit; Kiselev, Nikolai (2024). Active bodies - active minds? A deep dive into the voluntary sports programs for individuals with psychiatric disorders in Switzerland: participants view. BMC Public Health, 24(1):3493.

Marciniak, Marta Anna; Shanahan, Lilly; Myin‐Germeys, Inez; Veer, Ilya Milos; Yuen, Kenneth S L; Binder, Harald; Walter, Henrik; Hermans, Erno J; Kalisch, Raffael; Kleim, Birgit (2024). Imager - A mobile health mental imagery‐based ecological momentary intervention targeting reward sensitivity: A randomized controlled trial. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 16(2):576-596.

Müller-Bardorff, Miriam; Schulz, Ava; Paersch, Christina; Recher, Dominique; Schlup, Barbara; Seifritz, Erich; Kolassa, Iris Tatjana; Kowatsch, Tobias; Fisher, Aaron; Galatzer-Levy, Isaac; Kleim, Birgit (2024). Optimizing Outcomes in Psychotherapy for Anxiety Disorders Using Smartphone-Based and Passive Sensing Features: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR research protocols, 13:e42547.

Rohde, Judith; Marciniak, Marta Anna; Henninger, Mirka; Homan, Stephanie; Ries, Anja; Paersch, Christina; Friedman, Olivia; Brown, Adam D; Kleim, Birgit (2024). Effects of a digital self-efficacy training in stressed university students: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE, 19(10):e0305103.