MPIB is a partner in the new Einstein Center for Youth Mental Health

Research initiative by seven Berlin institutions receives six million euros funding

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) is involved in the new Einstein Center for Youth Mental Health (ECYM)—a research initiative dedicated to the early detection and improved treatment of mental illnesses in young people. The aim of the center is to explore new approaches to conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and borderline personality disorder. 

Initial symptoms of these disorders often appear between the ages of twelve and twenty-five—at a critical life phase. The causes are often unclear, and access to treatment  in many places remains inadequate. The ECYM will use interdisciplinary research to develop new approaches to diagnosis, prevention, and therapy. 

In a large-scale longitudinal study, around 950 adolescents with and without an increased risk of mental illness will be followed over four years. Modern brain imaging, digital data collection, and AI-assisted analyses are planned to help identify risk factors and early warning signs. In addition, new therapies and models of care will be developed and tested, and young people with lived experience of mental illness will be actively involved in the research. 

The MPIB is contributing its expertise in environmental neuroscience to the project. Under the leadership of Simone Kühn, director of the Center for Environmental Neuroscience, the institute investigates the influence of the physical and social environment on the brain and mental health. A central contribution will be the use of ambulatory assessment. This method gathers data on participants' everyday environments directly in their natural surroundings. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of which environmental factors can promote or alleviate mental disorders. 

“The new Einstein Center ECYM will significantly improve the treatment options for adolescents at risk of psychiatric disorders in Berlin. Our focus on relevant factors of the physical and social environment will hopefully contribute to understanding the conditions under which psychiatric disorders develop during adolescence. These scientific insights could then lead to targeted interventions and changes in the living environments of young people in Berlin,” explains Simone Kühn. 

In addition to the MPIB, the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité), Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin), Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Vivantes, and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt are involved. The Einstein Foundation Berlin is funding the project over six years with six million euros.