Joseph Firth

USERN Advisory Board

Dr. Joseph Firth

Present appointment(s): UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, University of Manchester Honorary Fellow, Western Sydney University Honorary Research Fellow, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Address: 3.305 Jean Macfarlane, Oxford Road, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL Telephone number: +44 7724 458525 Email address: [email protected]
Education: PhD Medicine- University of Manchester (2013 - 2017): I completed this PhD after being awarded a prestigious Doctoral Training Fellowship from the MRC; covering personal stipend and all research funding. I published over 50 peer-reviewed articles during the PhD, including multiple clinical studies, and submitted my thesis 6 months ahead of schedule. BSc (1st Hons) Psychology- The University of Sheffield (2009-2012): During my BSc, I designed a novel RCT, recruited over 100 participants to the trial, and received a national award from the British Psychological Society for this project. I also received a separate letter of commendation from the University for achieving the highest scores on record for the BSc Psychology course. Awards: 2021 Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researcher in Psychology & Psychiatry Awarded by Clarivate (Thomson Reuters) for producing highly-cited research ranking in the top 1% for citations by field in the Web of Science Top 10 ‘World Expert’ in Field of “Exercise”, 2021 Recognized by ExpertScape academic ranking platform for ranking in the Top 10 Exercise researchers (out of 345,000 individuals in total) worldwide for research outputs 2020 Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researcher in Psychology & Psychiatry Awarded by Clarivate (Thomson Reuters) for producing highly-cited research ranking in the top 1% for citations by field in the Web of Science Top 40 ‘Rising Researcher’ in Australia, 2019 Winner of an annual “Rising Researcher” award from The Australian, for ranking among the top 40 top-cited Early Career Researchers in the country across all fields, and ranking within the top 5 within my specific field (Medical and Health Sciences) Best Presentation Award - International Festival of Public Health 2019 Awarded by the International Festival of Public Health in July, 2019, for my presentation on the public health implications of our Lancet Psychiatry Commission on protecting physical health in people with mental illness Elsevier Atlas Award – February 2019 Of the thousands of articles published across all of the Elsevier journals each month, just one of these (identified as particularly important and impactful for global health), is selected for Atlas Award. Our article on sedentary behaviour and depression in low-income countries won the Elsevier Atlas Award for February 2019 ‘Research Article of Year’ Award 2018 – NICM Health Research Institute This was awarded by my institute for my 2018 research article in JAMA Psychiatry on the relationships between muscular function and cognitive performance in people with psychiatric disorders Highly Commended Early Career Researcher 2018 – WSU Vice Chancellor Awards This was awarded by Western Sydney University on the basis of standout performance as an Early Career Researcher over the year of 2018 – specifically for publishing over 40 academic articles during the course of the year. Schizophrenia International Research Society –Researcher Travel Award: This ECR award was provided to cover travel expenses and attendance fees for the SIRS bi-annual conference, in Florence, Italy (April 2018), where I presented my recent paper on nutritional deficiencies in young adults with early psychosis. Manchester Doctoral Academy Outstanding Research Output Award (2017) The School of Health Sciences’ annual prize for top Doctoral Research Output was awarded to a research article I co-authored with a fellow doctoral researcher; published in Neurology in 2016. President’s Doctoral Scholarship Award (2013) The University of Manchester’s flagship funding scheme “given to the most outstanding students to support research training across a full range of subjects.” University of Sheffield Special Commendation (2012)Unique commendation awarded by the University of Sheffield upon graduation “in recognition of unique performance in undergraduate studies” (having obtained the highest set of grades recorded for the course), and been the only student ever to have achieved first-class marks in every single module). British Psychological Society (BPS) Undergraduate Award (2012) Awarded to the top scoring undergraduate student in Psychology across each of the BPS accredited Universities. Funding and Grants: UK Research & Innovation - Future Leaders Fellowship (Principle Investigator)£1,138,674 October 2020 – October 2024 Using Digital Technologies for Health Promotion in Young People with Mental Illness Schizophrenia International Research Society - Research Harmonisation Group (Co-Investigator) $5000 July 2021 – July 2022 Developing a comprehensive procedure for reporting adverse events in digital psychosis studies Closing the Gap Kickstarter Fund – Co-Investigator £22,338 January 2021 – December 2022 Evaluation and exploration of barriers and facilitators to the detection and treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in people with severe mental illness. Closing the Gap Collaboration Fund –Principal Investigator (Joint) £2,000 August 2020 – August 2021 Examining and Implementing ‘whole systems’ approaches to physical activity for aiding mental health recovery. University of Manchester – Presidential Fellowship (Sole Recipient) £234,204 – Jan 2020 – Dec 2023 Awarded from The University of Manchester, supporting up to 4-years of salary and £40,000 research costs to conduct clinical and epidemiological research towards the development and implementation of physical health interventions for young people with mental illness disorders. NICM- Blackmores Institute – Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Sole Recipient)$300,000 – June 2017 – June 2020 Awarded from NICM, Western Sydney University, supporting 3-years of salary and $70,000 AUD research costs to conduct clinical and epidemiological research towards the development and evaluation of physical health interventions young people with severe mental illness. City of Melton – Semi-Annual Community Project Grant (Co-Investigator) $7,079 – May 2018 – May 2020 Awarded by the City of Melton for our community exercise referral scheme for young people with mental health issues (Youth Take Charge!), to support the development of the scheme (initially rolled out in Sydney) and expansion into the city of Melton (VIC, Australia) Schizophrenia International Research Society – Early Career Researcher Award (Sole Recipient) £1500 - January 2018 This ECR award was provided to cover travel expenses and attendance fees for the SIRS bi-annual conference, in Florence, Italy (April 2018), where I presented my recent paper on nutritional deficiencies in young adults with early psychosis. MRC Doctoral Training Scholarship (Sole Recipient) £71,000 - October 2013-2017 Awarded by the MRC and the University of Manchester to cover tuition fees and personal stipend for the duration of my 4-year PhD research project ‘Investigating the Benefits of Exercise in Early Psychosis’. MRC Research Training Support Grant (Sole Recipient) £14,200 - October 2013-2017 This discretionary funding was awarded alongside my PhD scholar in order to provide further support to the research project and my doctoral training. I have used this to conduct additional research projects, disseminate my findings through presenting at international conferences and attend external training courses to further my development as an independent researcher. University of Manchester President’s Doctoral Scholar Bursary (Sole Recipient) £4,000 - October 2013-2017 Upon accepting my doctoral training scholarship, I also received an additional personal bursary, which is awarded by the University to enhance the stipend of promising PhD students. MRC Supplementary Postdoctoral Transition Grant (Sole Recipient)£4,395 - April 2017 The MRC/UoM Doctoral Training Partnership provide discretionary funding for exceptional PhD students approaching the end of their program to gain further skills supporting their transition to first postdoc positions. I created an application to expand my skillset from exercise/physical activity interventions to learn more about nutritional and dietary interventions in psychotic disorders through a placement with external collaborators, and was awarded £4,395 to pursue this opportunity by the funding council. Research Design Service North-West Patient and Public Involvement Bursary (Sole Recipient) £340- November 2016 To inform the development of my Fellowship proposals, I applied for a RDS-NW PPI bursary. This was used to conduct one-to-one interviews with young people with psychosis, discussing their opinions and ideas on health supplements in psychosis treatment. MRC Supplementary Overseas Research Grant (Sole Recipient) £3,455 - June 2016 Having completed the planned fieldwork for my PhD 12-months ahead of schedule, I applied for a supplementary MRC overseas fieldwork grant to expand my research, aiming to examining the use of mobile-health platforms for improving outcomes in mental disorders. I conceived of the project, arranged overseas collaborators, developed the rationale and application, and was successful in obtaining the funding. British Interactive Group – Travel Grant (Sole Recipient) £100 - December 2015 This bursary covered travel expenses and attendance fees of a STEM Communicators Network conference, awarded to a select number of applicants on the basis of previous public engagement endeavors. University of Manchester - Widening Participation Fellowship (Sole Recipient) £1,250 - October 2014-2015 I applied for this 1 year part-time role to undertake paid public engagement work during my PhD studies, and was awarded £1,250 in personal funding to lead on the development and delivery of 100 hours of academic enrichment events for primary schools, high schools and aspiring university students.
Research Outputs Four-year Research Summary (2014 – 2018) Over the last 4 years, I have published over 200 articles in leading research journals; over 50 of which I am first author. As of March 2022, I have a h-index of 60 and over 17,000 citations. This body of work includes multiple research articles in the most prestigious medical journals, such as 4 separate first-author papers in World Psychiatry (the world’s top psychiatric journal, Impact Factor = 49.6), a further 5 first-author articles in the world’s highest-impact schizophrenia journal, Schizophrenia Bulletin (Impact Factor = 7.8), 3 first-authors in Psychological Medicine (Impact Factor= 5.5), and other first authored papers in The Lancet Psychiatry (Impact Factor =18.1), JAMA Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 16.3), NeuroImage (Impact Factor =6.4) and The British Journal of Pharmacology (Impact Factor = 5.3). Additionally, I have multiple co-authored publications in top medical journals such as Neurology (Impact Factor = 8.3), American Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 14.2), Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (Impact Factor = 8.5), and Biological Psychiatry (Impact Factor=11.8). Accepted manuscripts and Published articles: 2022 Firth J, Wootton RE, Sawyer C, Taylor G. (2022). Clearing the air: clarifying the causal role of smoking in mental illness. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press. Hassan L, Sawyer C, Peek N, …, & Firth J. (2022). COVID-19 vaccination uptake in people with severe mental illness: a UK-based cohort study. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press. Teasdale S, Müller-Stierlin AS, …, & Firth J. (2022). Prevalence of food insecurity in people with major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and related psychoses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. *Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (Impact Factor = 11.2),* in press. Hassan L, Peek N, Lovell K, …, & Firth J. (2022). Disparities in COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation and death in people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder: a cohort study of the UK Biobank. *Molecular Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 16.0),* in press. Espie C, Firth J, Torous J. (2022). Evidence-informed is not enough: digital therapeutics also need to be evidence-based. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press. McKeon G, Papadopoulos E, Firth J, et al. (2022). Social Media Interventions Targeting Exercise and Diet Behaviours in People with Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs): A Systematic Review. Internet Interventions, in press. Tomlinson-Perez S, Machaczek K, Firth J, et al. (2022). Evaluation of the Uptake, Retention and Effectiveness of Exercise Referral Schemes for the Management of Mental Health Conditions in Primary Care: A Systematic Review. BMC Public Health, in press. Metri J, Ee C, Wardle J,…, Firth J, et al. (2022). Assessing Dietary, Exercise, and Non-Pharmacological Modalities within Psychiatric Hospitals. General Hospital Psychiatry, in press. Luna L, Radua J, Fortea L…, Firth J, et al. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of structural and functional brain alterations in individuals with genetic and clinical high-risk for psychosis and bipolar disorder. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, in press. 2021 Torous J, Bucci S, Bell I, Kessing LV, Faurholt-Jepsen M, Whelan P, Carvalho AF, Matcheri Keshavan M, Linardon L, & Firth J. (2021). The growing field of digital psychiatry: current evidence and the future of apps, social media, chatbots, and virtual reality. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press. Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Van Damme T, Smith L, Hallgren M, Schuch F, Deenik J, Rosenbaum S, Ashdown-Franks G, Mugisha J, & Firth J. (2021). The efficacy of meditation-based mind-body interventions for mental disorders: A meta-review of 17 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 134; 181-191. Firth JA, Torous J, & Firth J. (2021). Exploring the impact of internet use on memory and attention processes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249481 Carney R & Firth J. (2021). Exercise interventions in child and adolescent mental healthcare: an overview of the evidence and recommendations for implementation. JCPP Advances, in press. Vancampfort D, Firth J, Smith L, Stubbs B, Rosenbaum S, et al. (2021). Association between physical activity and leisure-time sedentary behavior among 140,808 adolescents aged 12 to 15 from 47 low- and middle-income countries. Public Health, in press. Onyeaka H, Firth J, Kessler R, Lovell K, Torous J. Use of Smartphones, Mobile apps and Wearables for Health Promotion by People with Common Mental Disorders: An analysis of a nationally representative survey data. Psychiatry Research, in press. Carney R, Firth J, Pedley R, Law H, et al. (2021). The clinical and behavioral cardiometabolic risk of children and young people on mental health inpatient units: a systematic review and meta-analysis. General Hospital Psychiatry, in press. Onyeaka H, Firth J, Enemuo V, Muoghalu C, Naslund J, Baiden P, Torous J. (2021). Exploring the Association between Electronic Wearable Device Use and Levels of Physical Activity among Individuals with Depression and Anxiety: A Population level Study. Frontiers in Digital Health, in press. Solmi M, Fiedorowicz J, Poddighe L,…Firth J, et al. (2021). Disparities in screening, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in patients with mental disorders across the world: systematic review and meta-analysis of 46 observational studies. *The American Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 14.12), in press. Martland R, Korman N, Firth J,* Vancampfort D, Thompson T, Stubbs B. Can high intensity interval training improve mental health outcomes in the general population and those with physical illnesses? A systematic review and meta-analysis. *British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68), in press. Zhang X, Lewis S, Firth J,* Bucci S. (2021). Digital mental health in China: a systematic review. **Psychological Medicine (Impact Factor = 6.1), in press. Tavares D, Galvão-Coelho NL, Firth J,** et al. (2021). Reliability and convergent validity of self-reported physical activity questionnaires for people with mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, in press. Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Van Damme T, Firth J, Suetani S, Stubbs B, Van Biesen D. (2021). Prevalence of diabetes in people with intellectual disabilities and age- and gender matched controls: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, in press. Bourke M, Patten R, Dash S…, Firth J, et al. (2021). The effect of interventions that target multiple modifiable health behaviours on symptoms of anxiety and depression in young people: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Journal of Adolescent Health, in press. Solmi M, Estradé A, Agorastos A…, Firth J, et al. (2021). The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times in Adults (COH-FIT-Adults): Design and methods of an international online survey targeting physical and mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders, in press. Trott M, Johnstone J, Firth J, et al. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of body dysmorphic disorder in health club users in the presence vs absence of eating disorder symptomology. Eating & Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, in press. Vancampfort D, Van-Damme T, Firth J, et al. (2021). Physical activity correlates in children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with an intellectual disability: a systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, in press. Lopez-Bueno R, Koyanagi A, Lopez-Sanchez GF, Firth J, Smith L. (2021). Association between age of first exposure and heavy Internet use in a representative sample of 317 443 adolescents from 52 countries. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, in press. Ramos-Sanchez CP, Schuch FB, Seedat S…, Firth J, et al. (2021). The anxiolytic effects of exercise for people with anxiety and related disorders: an update of the available meta-analytic evidence. Psychiatry Research, in press. Romano E, Ma R, Perera G, …Firth J, et al. Risk of hospitalised falls and hip fractures in working age adults receiving mental health care. General Hospital Psychiatry, in press. Siskind D, Gallagher E, Winckel K… Firth J, et al. (2021). Does switching antipsychotics ameliorate weight gain in patients with severe mental illness? A systematic review and meta-analysis. *Schizophrenia Bulletin* *(Impact Factor = 7.8), doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa191. Gonzalez M, Pascoe M, Yang G…Firth J, et al. (2021). Yoga for depression and anxiety symptoms in people with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psycho-oncology, in press. Swinnen S, Vandenbulcke M, de Bruin ED…Firth J, et al. (2021). The efficacy of exergaming in people with major neurocognitive disorder residing in long-term care facilities: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (Impact Factor = 6.1), in press.* Ma R, Romano E, Vancampfort D, Firth J, Stubbs B, Koyangi A. (2021). Physical multimorbidity and social cohesion in adults aged ≥65 years from six low- and middle-income countries. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, in press. Marx W, Scholey A, Firth J, et al. (2021). Prebiotics, Probiotics, Fermented foods and Cognitive Outcomes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (Impact Factor = 8.33), in press. Rosson S, Monaco F, Miola A…, Firth J et al. (2021) Longitudinal course of depressive, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after heart surgery: a meta-analysis of 94 studies. Psychosomatic Medicine, 83(1):85-93. Solmi M, Zorzi A, Cardaioli F…Firth J, et al. (2021). Exercise addiction in athletes: comparing two assessment instruments and willingness to stop exercise after medical advice. Psychological Assessment, in press. Purton T, Staskova L, Lane M…,Firth J, et al. (2021). Prebiotic and probiotic supplementation and the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway: A systematic review and meta analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (Impact Factor = 8.33), in press. Jacob L, Smith L, Armstrong NC…, Firth J, Tully MA. (2021). Alcohol use and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study in a sample of UK adults. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, in press. Vancampfort D, Sanchez C, Hallgren M, Schuch FB, Firth J, et al. (2021). Dropout from exercise randomized controlled trials among people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Journal of Affective Disorders, in press. 2020 Firth J, Solmi M, Wootton RE, Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Hoare E, Gilbody S, Torous J, Teasdale SB, Jackson SE, Smith L, Eaton M, Jacka FN, Veronese N, Marx W, Ashdown-Franks G, Siskind D, Sarris J, Rosenbaum S, Carvalho AF, Stubbs B. (2020). A meta-review of “lifestyle psychiatry”: the role of exercise, smoking, diet and sleep in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 19 (3): 360-380. Firth J, Gangwisch JE, Borisini A, Wootton RE, Mayer EA. (2020). Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing? The BMJ (Impact Factor = 30.22), doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2382 Firth J, Wootton RE, Carvalho AF. (2020). Towards preventative psychiatry: the role of advanced epidemiological methods. *The American Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 14.12), 177: 888-890 Firth J,* Torous J. (2020). Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic. *The Lancet Psychiatry* *(Impact Factor = 16.2), doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30251-0 Sarris J, Thomson R, Hargraves F, Eaton M, Manincor M, Veronese N, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Yung AR, & Firth J.* (2020). Multiple Lifestyle Factors and Depressed Mood: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of The UK Biobank. *BMC Medicine (Impact Factor = 6.8),* 18 (354) doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01813-5 Rosenbaum S, McKeon G, Stubbs B, Teychenne M, Parker A, & Firth J. (2020). Redefining mental healthcare: going multidisciplinary to manage multimorbidity. *British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68),* doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101691 Firth J, Malchow B, Ventura J. (2020). Imaging the effects of exercise on the brain. Schizophrenia Research, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.06.034 Firth J, Schuch FB, Mittal V. (2020). Using exercise to protect physical and mental health in youth at risk for psychosis. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 23(1): 10.4081/ripppo.2020.433. Bull F, Al-Ansari S, Biddle S,…Firth J, et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviours. *British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68),* 54(24):1451-62. Siskind D, Wu BT, Wong TT, Firth J, Kisley S. (2020). Pharmacological interventions for smoking cessation among people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A systematic review, meta-analysis and network meta-analysis. *The Lancet Psychiatry* *(Impact Factor = 16.2), in press. Mittal V, Firth J,* Kimhy D. Combating the dangers of sedentary activity on child and adolescent mental health during the time of COVID-19. *Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 6.4)*, in press. Chaput JP, Willumsen J, Bull F, Chou R, Ekelund U, Firth J, Jago R, Ortega FB, Katzmarzyk PT. 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years: summary of the evidence. *International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Impact Factor = 7). 2020;17(1):1-9. Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M…, Firth J,* et al. (2020). Diet and Depression: Exploring the Biological Mechanisms of Action. *Molecular Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 12.4), in press. Jacob L, Tully M, Barnett Y…, Firth J,* et al. (2020). The Relationship between Physical Activity and Mental Health in a Sample of the UK Public: A Cross-Sectional Study During the Implementation of COVID-19 Social Distancing Measures. MENPA, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2020.100345 Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Van Damme T, Firth J, et al. (2020). Metabolic syndrome and its components in people intellectual disability: a meta-analysis. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, in press. Veronese N, Fontana L, Piccio L...Firth J, et al. (2020). Adherence to a healthy lifestyle and multiple sclerosis a case-control study from the UK Biobank. Nutritional Neuroscience, in press. Linardon…Firth J et al., (2020). E-mental health interventions for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (Impact Factor = 4.5), in press. Bulzing R, Meyer J, Vancampfort D, Firth J, et al. (2020) Associations of moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior with depressive and anxiety symptoms in self-isolating people during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey in Brazil. Psychiatry Research, in press. DiPietro L, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle SJ, …Firth J, et al. (2020). Advancing the Global Physical Activity Agenda: Recommendations for Future Research by the 2020 WHO physical activity and sedentary behavior guidelines development group. *International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Impact Factor = 7). 2020 Dec;17(1):1-1. 2020* Carvalho AF, Firth J, Vieta E. (2020). Bipolar Disorder [Invited Review]. *New England Journal of Medicine (Impact Factor = 70.67),* 383:58-66. Solmi M, Firth J, Miola A, Fornano M, Frison E, Fusar-Poli P, Dragioti E, Shin JI, Carvalho A, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A, Kisley S, Correll CU. (2020). Disparities in cancer screening in people with mental illness across the world versus the general population: prevalence and comparative meta-analysis including 4717839 people. *The Lancet Psychiatry* *(Impact Factor = 16.2), 7: 52-63. Firth JA, Smith L, Sarris J, …, Firth J. (2020). Handgrip strength is associated with hippocampal volume and white matter hyperintensities in major depression and healthy controls: a UK Biobank study. Psychosomatic Medicine,* 82: 39–46. Torous J, Lipschitz JM, Ng M, Firth J. (2020). Dropout rates in clinical trials of smartphone apps for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 263: 413-419. Torous J, Myrick KJ, Ricupero N, Firth J. (2020). Digital Mental Health and COVID-19: Using Technology Today and Accelerating the Curve on Access and Quality for Tomorrow. JMIR Mental Health, in press. Teasdale S, Firth J. (2020). Recommendations for dietetics in mental healthcare. (2020). Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, in press. Vancampfort D, Solmi M, Firth J, Vandenbulcke M, Stubbs B. (2020). The impact of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions to improve physical health outcomes in people with dementia: a meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. *JAMDA (Impact Factor = 5.3),*in press. Biazus Sehn LF, Schuch FB, Firth J, de Souza Stigger F. (2020). Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Function of Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, in press. Brinsley J, Schuch FB, Lederman O…Firth J, et al. (2020). The Effects of Yoga on Depressive Symptoms in People with Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68), in press. Ashdown-Franks G, Sabiston CM, Koyanagi A….Firth J, et al. (2020). Predictors of Physical Activity Recording in Routine Mental Healthcare. MENPA, in press. Trott M, Yang L, Jackson S, Firth J et al. (2020). Prevalence and Correlates of Exercise Addiction in the Presence vs. Absence of Indicated Eating Disorders. Frontiers in Sport and Active Living, doi: 10.3389/fspor.2020.00084. Stubbs B, Perara G, Koyanagi A…Firth J, et al. (2020). Risk of Hospitalized Falls and Hip Fractures in 22,103 Older Adults Receiving Mental Health Care vs 161,603 Controls: A Large Cohort Study. *JAMDA (Impact Factor = 5.3),* in press, doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.03.005. Bezerra AP, Machado OM, Maes M… Firth J, et al. (2020). Trichotillomania --- Psychopathological correlates and associations with health-related quality of life in a large sample. CNS Spectrums, in press. Trott M, Jackson S, Firth J et al. (2020). Exercise addiction prevalence and correlates in the absence of eating disorder symptomology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Addiction Medicine, doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000664. Sarris J, Sinclair J, Karamacoska D, Davidson M, Firth J. (2020). Medicinal Cannabis for Psychiatric Disorders: A Clinically-Focused Systematic Review. BMC Psychiatry, in press. Brokmeier L, Firth J, Vancampfort D, Smith L, Rosenbaum S, Ward PB, Stubbs B, Schuch FB. (2020). Does physical activity reduce the risk of psychosis? A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Psychiatry Research, in press. Powell A, Torous J, Firth J, Kaufman K. Generating Value with Mental Health Apps. (2020). BJPsych Open, in press. Carvalho AF, Solmi M, Sanches M.., Firth J, et al. (2020). Evidence-Based Umbrella Review of 162 Peripheral Biomarkers for Major Mental Disorders. *Translational Psychiatry (I.F. =5.8), in press. Jacob L, Stubbs B, Firth J,* Smith L, Haro JM, Koyanagi A. (2020). Fast food consumption and suicide attempts among adolescents aged 12-15 years from 32 countries. Journal of Affective Disorders, in press. Vancampfort D, Basangwa D, Kimbowa S, Firth J, et al. (2020). Test-retest reliability, validity and correlates of the two-minute walk test in outpatients with depression. Physiotherapy Research International, in press. Trott M, Jackson S, Firth J, Jacob L, et al., (2020). A comparative meta-analysis of the prevalence of exercise addiction in adults with and without indicated eating disorders.Eating and Weight Disorders, in press. Veronese N, Solmi M, Demurtas J.., Firth J et al. (2020). Effect of low-dose aspirin on health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, in press. Carney R, Imran S, Law H, Firth J, Parker S. (2020). Physical health interventions on adolescent mental health inpatient units: a systematic review and call to action. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, in press. Vancampfort D, Hallgren M, Schuch F…, Firth J, et al. (2020) Sedentary behavior and depression among community-dwelling adults aged >= 50 years: Results from the irish longitudinal study on Ageing. Journal of Affective Disorders, in press. Korman N, Armour M, Chapman J, Rosenbaum S, Kisely S, Suetani S, Stubbs B, Firth J, Siskind D. (2020). High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for people with Severe Mental Illness: A systematic review & meta-analysis of intervention studies. Psychiatry Research, in press. 2019 Firth J, Siddiqi N, Koyanagi A, Siskind D, Rosenbaum S, Galletly C, Allan S, Caneo C, Carney R, Carvalho A, Chatterton M, Correll C, Curtis J, Gaughran F, Heald A, Hoare E, Jackson S, Kisely S, Lovell K, Maj M, McGorry P, Mihalopoulos C, Myles H, O’Donoghue B, Pillinger T, Sarris J, Schuch F, Shiers D, Smith L, Solmi M, Suetani S, Taylor J, Teasdale S, Thornicroft G, Torous J, Usherwood T, Vancampfort D, Veronese N, Ward P, Yung A, Killacky E, Stubbs B. (2019). The Lancet Psychiatry Commission: A Blueprint for Protecting Physical Health in People with Mental Illness. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6 (8): 675-712. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30132-4 Firth J, Teasdale S, Allott K, Siskind D, Marx W, Cotter J, Veronese N, Schuch FB, Smith L, Solmi M, Carvalho AF, Vancampfort D, Berk M, Stubbs B, Sarris J. (2019). The efficacy and safety of nutrient supplements in the treatment of mental disorders: a meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. *World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 18 (3) , doi: 10.1002/wps.20672 Firth J,* Torous J, Stubbs B, Firth JA, Steiner GZ, Smith L, Alvarez-Jimenez M, Gleeson J, Vancampfort D, Armitage CJ, Sarris J. (2019). The “online brain”: how the Internet may be changing our cognition. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor= 49.6), 18(2);119-129. Firth J, Veronese N, Cotter C, Shivappa N, Hebert JR, Carolyn Ee, Smith L, Stubbs B, Jackson SE, Sarris J. (2019). What is the role of dietary inflammation in severe mental illness? a review of observational and experimental findings. Frontiers in Psychiatry, doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00350 Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, Carney R, Teasdale S, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Schuch FB, Carvalho AF, Jacka F, Sarris J. (2019). The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosomatic Medicine, 81: 265-280. Firth J, Ward PB, Stubbs B. Lifestyle Psychiatry. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00597 Firth J, Torous J. (2019). Issues with Inclusion and Interpretation; A Cause for Concern in mHealth Reviews? Journal of Psychiatric Research (Impact Factor = 4.00), doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.12.010. Firth J, Teasdale SB, Jackson SE, Vancampfort D, Siskind D, Sarris J, Solmi M. (2019). Do reductions in ghrelin contribute towards antipsychotic-induced weight gain? Schizophrenia Research (Impact Factor = 4.00), doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2018.12.043. Dubicka B, Martin J, Firth J. (2019). Screen time, social media and developing brains: a cause for good or corrupting young minds? Child and Adolescent Mental Health, doi: 10.1111/camh.12346. Vancampfort D, Firth J, Correll CU, Solmi S, De Hert M, Carney R, Koyanagi A, Carvalho A, Gaughran F, Stubbs B. (2019). The impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to improve physical health outcomes in people with schizophrenia: a meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 18 (1): 53-66. Ashdown-Franks G, Firth J, Carney R, Carvalho AF, Hallgren M, Koyanagi A, Rosenbaum S, Schuch FB, Smith L, Solmi M, Vancampfort D, Stubbs B. (2019). Exercise as medicine for mental and substance use disorders: a meta-review of the benefits for neuropsychiatric and cognitive outcomes. *Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 11.64), in press. Ng M, Firth J, Torous J. User Engagement in Mental Health Apps: a systematic review of measurement, reporting and validity. Psychiatric Services,* in press. Cosco T, Firth J, Vahia I, Sixsmith A, Torous J. Mobilizing mHealth data collection in older adults: Challenges and opportunities. JMIR Aging, in press. Allot K, McGorry P, Yuen HP, Firth J, Proffitt TM, Berger G, Maruff P, O’Donnell CJ (2019). The Vitamins in Psychosis Study: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effects of vitamin B12, B6 and folic acid on symptoms and neurocognition in first-episode psychosis. Biological Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 11.98), doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.12.018 Torous J, Anderson G, Bertagnoli A, Christensen H, Cuijpers P, Firth J., et al. (2019). Towards a consensus around standards for smartphone apps and digital mental health. World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 8 (1): 97. Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Firth J, Hallgren M, Smith L, Stubbs B, Rosenbaum S, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of leisure-time sedentary behavior among 181,793 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 66 low- and middle-income countries. PLoS One, in press. Dragioti E, Solmi M, Favaro A.., Firth J., et al. (2019). Adverse health outcomes in antidepressants users. An umbrella review of 45 meta-analyses of observational studies. JAMA Psychiatry (I.F. = 16.3), in press. Vancampfort D, Hallgren M, Vandael H, Probst M, Van Hoof P, Firth J, Van Damme T. (2019). Functional exercise capacity in inpatients with alcohol use disorder versus healthy controls: a pilot study. Alcohol, in press. Marteen W, Winckel K, Hollingworth S, Kisely S, Gallagher E, Hahn M, Ebdrup BH, Firth J, Siskind D. (2019). Strategies to counter antipsychotic-associated weight gain in patients with schizophrenia. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, in press. Grabovac I Veronese N, Stefanac …Firth J,… Smith L. (2019). HIV infection and diverse physical health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies. *Clinical Infectious* Diseases (Impact Factor = 9.02), in press. Machado M, Stergiopoulos V, Maes M…Firth J, Carvalho A, et al. (2019). Depression and anxiety in adults with hidradenitis suppurativa: systematic review and meta-analysis. *JAMA Dermatology (Impact Factor = 8.1), in press. Smith L, Luchini C, Demurtas J..., Firth J,* et al., (2019). Telomere length and health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. Aging Research Reviews (Impact Factor = 9.0), 51: 1-10 Teasdale S, Ward PB, Samaras K, Firth J, Stubbs B, Tripodi E, Burrows T. (2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the dietary intake of people with severe mental illness: A focus on psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 5.89), doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.20 Travicaa N, D’Cunhab NM, Naumovskib N, Kentd K, Firth J…,Marx W. The effect of blueberry interventions on cognitive performance and mood: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. *Brain, Behavior and Immunity* (Impact Factor=6.03), in press. Hoare E, Marx W, Firth J, Jacka F, Moschonis G. Lifestyle behavioural risk factors and emotional functioning among Greek schoolchildren: The Healthy Growth Study. European Psychiatry, in press. Ashdown-Franks G, Sabiston C, Vancampfort D…Firth J, et al. (2019). Cannabis use and physical activity among 89,777 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 21 low- and middle-income countries. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, in press. Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Firth J…, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of physical activity among 142,118 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 48 low- and middle-income countries. Preventative Medicine, 127: 105819. Chao C, Yang L, Koyanagi A, Vancampfort D, Soysal P, Veronese N, Stubbs B, Firth J, Smith L. (2019). Handgrip strength is associated with suicidal thoughts in men: Cross-sectional analyses from NHANES. Scand J Med Sci Spor, in press. Smith S, Grabovac I, Yang L, Firth J, Brendon Stubbs B, Nicola Veronese N, Jackson SE. Sexual activity and cognitive decline in older age: a prospective cohort study. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, in press. Swaraj S, Chung D, Curtis J, Firth J, Ramanuj P, Sara G, Wang M, Large M. (2019). Meta-analysis of Natural, Unnatural, and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates Following Discharge from Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, doi: 10.1111/acps.13073 Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Stubbs B, Smith L, Firth J, Hallgren M, Mugisha J, Koyanagi A. (2019). Sedentary behavior and anxiety-induced insomnia among 181,093 adolescents from 67 countries: a global perspective. Journal of Sleep Research, in press Ashdown-Franks G, Vancampfort D, Firth J, Veronese N, Jackson SE, Smith L, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A. (2019). Leisure-time sedentary behavior and obesity among 116,762 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 41 low- and middle-income countries. Obesity (Impact Factor = 4.05), in press. Vancampfort D, Lara E, Smith L, Rosenbaum S, Firth J, Stubbs B, Hallgren M, Koyanagi A. (2019). Physical activity and loneliness among adults aged ≥50 years in six low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, in press. Jackson SE, Firth J, Grabovac I, Koyanagi A, Stubbs B, Soysal P, Yang L, Smith L. (2019). Sedentary behaviour and chronic stress in old age: a cross-sectional analysis of TV viewing and hair cortisol concentrations. Psychoneuroendocrinology (Impact Factor = 4.01), in press. Van der Burg K, Cribb L, Karmacoska D, Firth J, Sarris J. (2019). Nutrient and Genetic Biomarkers of Nutraceutical Treatment Response in Mood and Psychotic Disorders: A Systematic Review. Nutritional Neuroscience, 9: 1-17. Jackson SE, Smith L, Firth J, Grabovac I, Soysal P, Koyanagi A, Stubbs B, Veronese N. (2019). Is there a relationship between chocolate consumption and symptoms of depression? A cross-sectional survey of 13,626 US adults. Depression and Anxiety (Impact Factor 4.1), in press. Smith L, Firth J, Grabovac I, Roberts J, Koyanagi A, , et al. (2019). The association of grip strength with depressive symptoms and cortisol in hair: a cross-sectional study of older adults. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports (Impact Factor = 4.6), in press. Van der Burg KP, Cribb L, Firth J, Karmacoska D., et al. (2019). EPA and DHA as Markers of Nutraceutical Treatment Response in Major Depressive Disorder. European Journal of Nutrition (Impact Factor = 4.1), in press. Schuch FB, Stubbs B, Meyer J…Firth J, et al. (2019). Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Depression and Anxiety (Impact Factor = 4.1), in press. Stockwell S, Schofield P, Fisher A, Firth J, Jackson S, Stubbs B, Smith L. (2019). Digital behavior change interventions to promote physical activity and/or reduce sedentary behavior in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2019). Experimental Gerontology, 20:68-87. Smith L, Jackson SE, Vancampfort D, Jacob L, Firth J, … Koyanagi A. (2019). Sexual behavior and suicide attempts among adolescents aged 12-15 years from 38 countries: A global perspective. Psychiatry Research, in press. Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Firth J, Smith L, Stubbs B, Rosenbaum S, Hallgren M, Hagemann N, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of physical activity among 142,118 adolescents aged 12–15 years from 48 low-and middle-income countries. Preventive Medicine, 127:105819 Jackson S, Firth JA, Firth J, Veronese N, Grabovac I, Gorely T, Yang L, Smith L. (2019). Social isolation and physical activity mediate associations between free bus travel and wellbeing among older adults in England. Journal of Transport and Health, in press. Deenik J, Czosnek L, Teasdale S, Stubbs B, Firth J et al. (2019). From impact factors to real impact: translating evidence on lifestyle interventions into routine mental healthcare. Translational Behavioral Medicine, in press. Ashdown-Franks G, Vancampfort D, Firth J, et al. Association of leisure-time sedentary behavior with fast food and carbonated soft drink consumption among 133,555 adolescents aged 12-15 years in 44 low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Impact Factor=5.5), in press. Smith L, Pardhan S, López Sánchez GF... Firth J, Lin Yang L. Presenting visual impairment and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in US adolescents and adults. BMJ Open, in press. Vancampfort D, Ashdown-Franks G, Smith L, Firth J, Van Damme T, Christiaansen L, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A. (2019). Leisure-time sedentary behavior and loneliness among 148,045 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 52 low- and middle-income countries. Journal of Affective Disorders, in press. Stringer C, Loosemore M, Moller E… Firth J, Smith L. (2019). Promoting physical activity in vulnerable adults “at risk” of homelessness: A Randomised Controlled Trial Protocol. BMJ Open, in press Bolzetta F, Veronese N, Stubbs B.., Firth J, Solmi M. The relationship between dietary vitamin K and depressive symptoms in late adulthood: a cross-sectional analysis from a large cohort study. Nutrients (Impact Factor =4.16), in press. Smith L, Veronese N, Moller E, Johnstone J, Firth J, Grabovac I, Yang L, Soysal P, Jackson SE. Health behaviours and mental and physical health status in older adults with a history of homelessness: a cross-sectional population-based study in England. BMJ Open, in press. Carvalho AF, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D…Firth J.., Koyanagi A. (2019). Cannabis Use and Suicide Attempts among 86,254 Adolescents Aged 12-15 years from 21 Low- and Middle-income countries. European Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 4.13), 56: 8-13. Jackson S, Firth J, Veronese N, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A, Yang L, Smith L. (2019). Decline in sexuality and psychological wellbeing in older adults: a population-based study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 245: 912-917 Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Firth J, Smith L, Swinnen N, Koyanagi A. (2019). Associations between handgrip strength and mild cognitive impairment in middle-aged and older adults in six low- and middle income countries. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, doi: 10.1002/gps.5061 Veronese N, Demurtas J, Pesolillo M,.. Firth J et al., (2019). Magnesium and health outcomes: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational and intervention studies. European Journal of Nutrition (Impact Factor = 4.5), doi: 10.1007/s00394-019-01905-w Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Mugishae J, Firth J, Van Damme T, Smith L, Koyanagi A. (2019). Leisure-time sedentary behavior and suicide attempt among 126,392 adolescents in 43 countries. Journal of Affective Disorders, doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.03.053 Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Firth J, Koyanagi A. (2019). Handgrip strength, chronic physical conditions and physical multimorbidity in middle-aged and older adults in six low- and middle income countries. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 61: 96-102 Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Smith L, Gardner B, Herring MP, Firth J, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of sedentary behavior among community-dwelling adults with anxiety in six low- and middle-income countries. Psychiatry Research, 273: 501-508 2018 Firth J, Firth JA, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Hallgren M, Veronese N, Yung AR, Sarris J. (2018). Association Between Muscular Strength and Cognition in People With Major Depression or Bipolar Disorder and Healthy Controls. *JAMA Psychiatry (I.F. = 16.3), 75 (7): 740-746 Firth J,* Stubbs B, Teasdale S, Ward PB, Veronese N, Shivappa N, Hebert J, Berk M, Yung AR, Sarris J. (2018). Diet as a hot topic in psychiatry: a population-scale study of nutritional intake and inflammatory potential in severe mental illness. *World Psychiatry (I.F. = 49.6), 17 (3), 365-367 Firth J,* Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Firth JA, Large M, Ward PB, Rosenbaum S, Hallgren M, Sarris J, Yung AR. (2018). Grip strength is associated with cognitive performance in schizophrenia and the general population: a U.K. Biobank study of 476,559 participants. *Schizophrenia Bulletin (I.F.= 7.8), 44 (4): 728–736. Firth J,* Torous J, Carney R, Cosco T, Newby J, Christensen H, Sarris J. (2018). Digital technologies in the treatment of anxiety: recent innovations and future directions. Current Psychiatry Reports [I.F. = 4.1; Invited Review], 20: 44 Firth J, Carney R, Stubbs B, Teasdale S, Vancampfort D, Ward PB, Berk M, Sarris J. (2018). Nutritional deficiencies and clinical correlates in first-episode psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin (I.F.=7 No items yet! Digital Innovation And Lifestyle Interventions Network (DIAL_IN) [email protected] Founder 24-Feb-10 Digital Innovation And Lifestyle Interventions Network (DIAL_IN) [email protected] Managing Director 24-Feb-10 No items yet! Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies. Footer USERN Contact us Executives Useful links Board Offices Archive Pages Statute Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) Grants Subscribe to our newsletter The latest news, events, and resources, sent to your inbox. Email address Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Linkedin Telegram © 2024 USERN, All rights reserved.

Present appointment(s): UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, University of Manchester Honorary Fellow, Western Sydney University Honorary Research Fellow, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust Address: 3.305 Jean Macfarlane, Oxford Road, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL
Telephone number: +44 7724 458525 Email address: [email protected]

Education:

PhD Medicine- University of Manchester (2013 - 2017):
I completed this PhD after being awarded a prestigious Doctoral Training Fellowship from the MRC; covering personal stipend and all research funding. I published over 50 peer-reviewed articles during the PhD, including multiple clinical studies, and submitted my thesis 6 months ahead of schedule.

BSc (1st Hons) Psychology- The University of Sheffield (2009-2012): During my BSc, I designed a novel RCT, recruited over 100 participants to the trial, and received a national award from the British Psychological Society for this project. I also received a separate letter of commendation from the University for achieving the highest scores on record for the BSc Psychology course.

Awards:

2021 Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researcher in Psychology & Psychiatry Awarded by Clarivate (Thomson Reuters) for producing highly-cited research ranking in the top 1% for citations by field in the Web of Science

Top 10 ‘World Expert’ in Field of “Exercise”, 2021
Recognized by ExpertScape academic ranking platform for ranking in the Top 10 Exercise researchers (out of 345,000 individuals in total) worldwide for research outputs

2020 Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researcher in Psychology & Psychiatry Awarded by Clarivate (Thomson Reuters) for producing highly-cited research ranking in the top 1% for citations by field in the Web of Science

Top 40 ‘Rising Researcher’ in Australia, 2019 Winner of an annual
“Rising Researcher” award from
The Australian, for ranking among the top 40 top-cited Early Career Researchers in the country across all fields, and ranking within the top 5 within my specific field (Medical and Health Sciences)

Best Presentation Award - International Festival of Public Health 2019
Awarded by the International Festival of Public Health in July, 2019, for my presentation on the public health implications of our Lancet Psychiatry Commission on protecting physical health in people with mental illness

Elsevier Atlas Award – February 2019 Of the thousands of articles published across all of the Elsevier journals each month, just one of these (identified as particularly important and impactful for global health), is selected for Atlas Award. Our article on sedentary behaviour and depression in low-income countries won the
Elsevier Atlas Award for February 2019

‘Research Article of Year’ Award 2018 – NICM Health Research Institute
This was awarded by my institute for my 2018 research article in JAMA Psychiatry on the relationships between muscular function and cognitive performance in people with psychiatric disorders

Highly Commended Early Career Researcher 2018 – WSU Vice Chancellor Awards
This was awarded by Western Sydney University on the basis of standout performance as an Early Career Researcher over the year of 2018 – specifically for publishing over 40 academic articles during the course of the year.

Schizophrenia International Research Society –Researcher Travel Award: This ECR award was provided to cover travel expenses and attendance fees for the SIRS bi-annual conference, in Florence, Italy (April 2018), where I presented my recent paper on nutritional deficiencies in young adults with early psychosis.

Manchester Doctoral Academy Outstanding Research Output Award (2017)
The School of Health Sciences’ annual prize for top Doctoral Research Output was awarded to a research article I co-authored with a fellow doctoral researcher; published in
Neurology in 2016.

President’s Doctoral Scholarship Award (2013) The University of Manchester’s flagship funding scheme “given to the most outstanding students to support research training across a full range of subjects.”

University of Sheffield Special Commendation (2012)Unique commendation awarded by the University of Sheffield upon graduation “in recognition of unique performance in undergraduate studies” (having obtained the highest set of grades recorded for the course), and been the only student ever to have achieved first-class marks in every single module).

British Psychological Society (BPS) Undergraduate Award (2012) Awarded to the top scoring undergraduate student in Psychology across each of the BPS accredited Universities.

Funding and Grants:

UK Research & Innovation - Future Leaders Fellowship (Principle Investigator)£1,138,674
October 2020 – October 2024

Using Digital Technologies for Health Promotion in Young People with Mental Illness

Schizophrenia International Research Society - Research Harmonisation Group (Co-Investigator)

$5000 July 2021 – July 2022

Developing a comprehensive procedure for reporting adverse events in digital psychosis studies

Closing the Gap Kickstarter Fund – Co-Investigator

£22,338 January 2021 – December 2022

Evaluation and exploration of barriers and facilitators to the detection and treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in people with severe mental illness.

Closing the Gap Collaboration Fund –Principal Investigator (Joint)

£2,000 August 2020 – August 2021

Examining and Implementing ‘whole systems’ approaches to physical activity for aiding mental health recovery.

University of Manchester – Presidential Fellowship (Sole Recipient)

£234,204 – Jan 2020 – Dec 2023 Awarded from The University of Manchester, supporting up to 4-years of salary and £40,000 research costs to conduct clinical and epidemiological research towards the development and implementation of physical health interventions for young people with mental illness disorders.

NICM- Blackmores Institute – Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Sole Recipient)$300,000 –
June 2017 – June 2020 Awarded from NICM, Western Sydney University, supporting 3-years of salary and $70,000 AUD research costs to conduct clinical and epidemiological research towards the development and evaluation of physical health interventions young people with severe mental illness.

City of Melton – Semi-Annual Community Project Grant (Co-Investigator)
$7,079 – May 2018 – May 2020
Awarded by the City of Melton for our community exercise referral scheme for young people with mental health issues (Youth Take Charge!), to support the development of the scheme (initially rolled out in Sydney) and expansion into the city of Melton (VIC, Australia)

Schizophrenia International Research Society – Early Career Researcher Award (Sole Recipient)
£1500 - January 2018 This ECR award was provided to cover travel expenses and attendance fees for the SIRS bi-annual conference, in Florence, Italy (April 2018), where I presented my recent paper on nutritional deficiencies in young adults with early psychosis.

MRC Doctoral Training Scholarship (Sole Recipient)
£71,000 - October 2013-2017 Awarded by the MRC and the University of Manchester to cover tuition fees and personal stipend for the duration of my 4-year PhD research project ‘Investigating the Benefits of Exercise in Early Psychosis’.

MRC Research Training Support Grant (Sole Recipient)
£14,200 - October 2013-2017
This discretionary funding was awarded alongside my PhD scholar in order to provide further support to the research project and my doctoral training. I have used this to conduct additional research projects, disseminate my findings through presenting at international conferences and attend external training courses to further my development as an independent researcher.

University of Manchester President’s Doctoral Scholar Bursary (Sole Recipient)
£4,000 - October 2013-2017 Upon accepting my doctoral training scholarship, I also received an additional personal bursary, which is awarded by the University to enhance the stipend of promising PhD students.

MRC Supplementary Postdoctoral Transition Grant (Sole Recipient)£4,395 -
April 2017 The MRC/UoM Doctoral Training Partnership provide discretionary funding for exceptional PhD students approaching the end of their program to gain further skills supporting their transition to first postdoc positions. I created an application to expand my skillset from exercise/physical activity interventions to learn more about nutritional and dietary interventions in psychotic disorders through a placement with external collaborators, and was awarded £4,395 to pursue this opportunity by the funding council.

Research Design Service North-West Patient and Public Involvement Bursary (Sole Recipient)
£340- November 2016
To inform the development of my Fellowship proposals, I applied for a RDS-NW PPI bursary. This was used to conduct one-to-one interviews with young people with psychosis, discussing their opinions and ideas on health supplements in psychosis treatment.

MRC Supplementary Overseas Research Grant (Sole Recipient) £3,455 -
June 2016 Having completed the planned fieldwork for my PhD 12-months ahead of schedule, I applied for a supplementary MRC overseas fieldwork grant to expand my research, aiming to examining the use of mobile-health platforms for improving outcomes in mental disorders. I conceived of the project, arranged overseas collaborators, developed the rationale and application, and was successful in obtaining the funding.

British Interactive Group – Travel Grant (Sole Recipient)
£100 - December 2015 This bursary covered travel expenses and attendance fees of a STEM Communicators Network conference, awarded to a select number of applicants on the basis of previous public engagement endeavors.

University of Manchester - Widening Participation Fellowship (Sole Recipient)
£1,250 - October 2014-2015 I applied for this 1 year part-time role to undertake paid public engagement work during my PhD studies, and was awarded £1,250 in personal funding to lead on the development and delivery of 100 hours of academic enrichment events for primary schools, high schools and aspiring university students.

Research Outputs

Four-year Research Summary (2014 – 2018)

Over the last 4 years, I have published over 200 articles in leading research journals; over 50 of which I am first author. As of March 2022, I have a h-index of 60 and over 17,000 citations.
This body of work includes multiple research articles in the most prestigious medical journals, such as 4 separate first-author papers in
World Psychiatry (the world’s top psychiatric journal, Impact Factor = 49.6), a further
5 first-author articles in the world’s highest-impact schizophrenia journal,
Schizophrenia Bulletin (Impact Factor = 7.8), 3 first-authors in Psychological Medicine (Impact Factor= 5.5), and other first authored papers
in The Lancet Psychiatry (Impact Factor =18.1), JAMA Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 16.3),
NeuroImage (Impact Factor =6.4) and The British Journal of Pharmacology (Impact Factor = 5.3). Additionally, I have multiple co-authored publications in top medical journals such as
Neurology (Impact Factor = 8.3), American Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 14.2),
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (Impact Factor = 8.5), and Biological Psychiatry (Impact Factor=11.8).

Accepted manuscripts and Published articles:

2022

Firth J, Wootton RE, Sawyer C, Taylor G. (2022). Clearing the air: clarifying the causal role of smoking in mental illness.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press.

Hassan L, Sawyer C, Peek N, …, & Firth J. (2022). COVID-19 vaccination uptake in people with severe mental illness: a UK-based cohort study.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press.

Teasdale S, Müller-Stierlin AS, …, &
Firth J. (2022). Prevalence of food insecurity in people with major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and related psychoses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (Impact Factor = 11.2), in press.

Hassan L, Peek N, Lovell K, …, & Firth J. (2022). Disparities in COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation and death in people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder: a cohort study of the UK Biobank.
Molecular Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 16.0), in press.

Espie C, Firth J, Torous J. (2022). Evidence-informed is not enough: digital therapeutics also need to be evidence-based.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press.

McKeon G, Papadopoulos E, Firth J, et al. (2022). Social Media Interventions Targeting Exercise and Diet Behaviours in People with Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs): A Systematic Review.
Internet Interventions, in press.

Tomlinson-Perez S, Machaczek K, Firth J, et al. (2022). Evaluation of the Uptake, Retention and Effectiveness of Exercise Referral Schemes for the Management of Mental Health Conditions in Primary Care: A Systematic Review.
BMC Public Health, in press.

Metri J, Ee C, Wardle J,…, Firth J, et al. (2022). Assessing Dietary, Exercise, and Non-Pharmacological Modalities within Psychiatric Hospitals.
General Hospital Psychiatry, in press.

Luna L, Radua J, Fortea L…, Firth J, et al. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of structural and functional brain alterations in individuals with genetic and clinical high-risk for psychosis and bipolar disorder.
Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, in press.

2021

Torous J, Bucci S, Bell I, Kessing LV, Faurholt-Jepsen M, Whelan P, Carvalho AF, Matcheri Keshavan M, Linardon L,
& Firth J. (2021). The growing field of digital psychiatry: current evidence and the future of apps, social media, chatbots, and virtual reality.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.5), in press.

Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Van Damme T, Smith L, Hallgren M, Schuch F, Deenik J, Rosenbaum S, Ashdown-Franks G, Mugisha J,
& Firth J. (2021). The efficacy of meditation-based mind-body interventions for mental disorders: A meta-review of 17 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
Journal of Psychiatric Research, 134; 181-191.

Firth JA, Torous J, & Firth J. (2021). Exploring the impact of internet use on memory and attention processes.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249481

Carney R & Firth J. (2021). Exercise interventions in child and adolescent mental healthcare: an overview of the evidence and recommendations for implementation.
JCPP Advances, in press.

Vancampfort D, Firth J, Smith L, Stubbs B, Rosenbaum S, et al. (2021). Association between physical activity and leisure-time sedentary behavior among 140,808 adolescents aged 12 to 15 from 47 low- and middle-income countries.
Public Health, in press.

Onyeaka H, Firth J, Kessler R, Lovell K, Torous J. Use of Smartphones, Mobile apps and Wearables for Health Promotion by People with Common Mental Disorders: An analysis of a nationally representative survey data.
Psychiatry Research, in press.

Carney R, Firth J, Pedley R, Law H, et al. (2021). The clinical and behavioral cardiometabolic risk of children and young people on mental health inpatient units: a systematic review and meta-analysis. General Hospital Psychiatry, in press.

Onyeaka H, Firth J, Enemuo V, Muoghalu C, Naslund J, Baiden P, Torous J. (2021). Exploring the Association between Electronic Wearable Device Use and Levels of Physical Activity among Individuals with Depression and Anxiety: A Population level Study. Frontiers in Digital Health, in press.

Solmi M, Fiedorowicz J, Poddighe L,…Firth J, et al. (2021). Disparities in screening, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in patients with mental disorders across the world: systematic review and meta-analysis of 46 observational studies. The American Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 14.12), in press.

Martland R, Korman N, Firth J, Vancampfort D, Thompson T, Stubbs B. Can high intensity interval training improve mental health outcomes in the general population and those with physical illnesses? A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68), in press.

Zhang X, Lewis S, Firth J, Bucci S. (2021). Digital mental health in China: a systematic review.
Psychological Medicine (Impact Factor = 6.1), in press.

Tavares D, Galvão-Coelho NL, Firth J, et al. (2021). Reliability and convergent validity of self-reported physical activity questionnaires for people with mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of Physical Activity and Health, in press.

Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Van Damme T, Firth J, Suetani S, Stubbs B, Van Biesen D. (2021). Prevalence of diabetes in people with intellectual disabilities and age- and gender matched controls: a meta-analysis.
Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, in press.

Bourke M, Patten R, Dash S…, Firth J, et al. (2021). The effect of interventions that target multiple modifiable health behaviours on symptoms of anxiety and depression in young people: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Journal of Adolescent Health, in press.

Solmi M, Estradé A, Agorastos A…, Firth J, et al. (2021). The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times in Adults (COH-FIT-Adults): Design and methods of an international online survey targeting physical and mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders, in press.

Trott M, Johnstone J, Firth J, et al. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of body dysmorphic disorder in health club users in the presence vs absence of eating disorder symptomology.
Eating & Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, in press.

Vancampfort D, Van-Damme T, Firth J, et al. (2021). Physical activity correlates in children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with an intellectual disability: a systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, in press.

Lopez-Bueno R, Koyanagi A, Lopez-Sanchez GF, Firth J, Smith L. (2021). Association between age of first exposure and heavy Internet use in a representative sample of 317 443 adolescents from 52 countries.
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, in press.

Ramos-Sanchez CP, Schuch FB, Seedat S…, Firth J, et al. (2021). The anxiolytic effects of exercise for people with anxiety and related disorders: an update of the available meta-analytic evidence.
Psychiatry Research, in press.

Romano E, Ma R, Perera G, …Firth J, et al. Risk of hospitalised falls and hip fractures in working age adults receiving mental health care.
General Hospital Psychiatry, in press.

Siskind D, Gallagher E, Winckel K… Firth J, et al. (2021). Does switching antipsychotics ameliorate weight gain in patients with severe mental illness? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Schizophrenia Bulletin (Impact Factor = 7.8),
doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa191.

Gonzalez M, Pascoe M, Yang G…Firth J, et al. (2021). Yoga for depression and anxiety symptoms in people with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Psycho-oncology, in press.

Swinnen S, Vandenbulcke M, de Bruin ED…Firth J, et al. (2021). The efficacy of exergaming in people with major neurocognitive disorder residing in long-term care facilities: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (Impact Factor = 6.1), in press.

Ma R, Romano E, Vancampfort D, Firth J, Stubbs B, Koyangi A. (2021). Physical multimorbidity and social cohesion in adults aged ≥65 years from six low- and middle-income countries.
Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, in press.

Marx W, Scholey A, Firth J, et al. (2021). Prebiotics, Probiotics, Fermented foods and Cognitive Outcomes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (Impact Factor = 8.33), in press.

Rosson S, Monaco F, Miola A…, Firth J et al. (2021) Longitudinal course of depressive, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after heart surgery: a meta-analysis of 94 studies.
Psychosomatic Medicine, 83(1):85-93.

Solmi M, Zorzi A, Cardaioli F…Firth J, et al. (2021). Exercise addiction in athletes: comparing two assessment instruments and willingness to stop exercise after medical advice.
Psychological Assessment, in press.

Purton T, Staskova L, Lane M…,Firth J, et al. (2021). Prebiotic and probiotic supplementation and the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway: A systematic review and meta analysis.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (Impact Factor = 8.33), in press.

Jacob L, Smith L, Armstrong NC…, Firth J, Tully MA. (2021). Alcohol use and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study in a sample of UK adults.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, in press.

Vancampfort D, Sanchez C, Hallgren M, Schuch FB, Firth J, et al. (2021). Dropout from exercise randomized controlled trials among people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: a meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Journal of Affective Disorders, in press.

2020

Firth J, Solmi M, Wootton RE, Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Hoare E, Gilbody S, Torous J, Teasdale SB, Jackson SE, Smith L, Eaton M, Jacka FN, Veronese N, Marx W, Ashdown-Franks G, Siskind D, Sarris J, Rosenbaum S, Carvalho AF, Stubbs B. (2020). A meta-review of “lifestyle psychiatry”: the role of exercise, smoking, diet and sleep in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 19 (3): 360-380.

Firth J, Gangwisch JE, Borisini A, Wootton RE, Mayer EA. (2020). Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?
The BMJ (Impact Factor = 30.22), doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2382

Firth J, Wootton RE, Carvalho AF. (2020). Towards preventative psychiatry: the role of advanced epidemiological methods.
The American Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 14.12), 177: 888-890

Firth J, Torous J. (2020). Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lancet Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 16.2), doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30251-0

Sarris J, Thomson R, Hargraves F, Eaton M, Manincor M, Veronese N, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Yung AR,
& Firth J. (2020). Multiple Lifestyle Factors and Depressed Mood: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis of The UK Biobank.
BMC Medicine (Impact Factor = 6.8), 18 (354) doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01813-5

Rosenbaum S, McKeon G, Stubbs B, Teychenne M, Parker A,
& Firth J. (2020). Redefining mental healthcare: going multidisciplinary to manage multimorbidity.
British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68), doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101691

Firth J, Malchow B, Ventura J. (2020). Imaging the effects of exercise on the brain.
Schizophrenia Research, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.06.034

Firth J, Schuch FB, Mittal V. (2020). Using exercise to protect physical and mental health in youth at risk for psychosis.
Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 23(1): 10.4081/ripppo.2020.433.

Bull F, Al-Ansari S, Biddle S,…Firth J, et al. (2020).
World Health Organization 2020 Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviours.
British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68), 54(24):1451-62.

Siskind D, Wu BT, Wong TT, Firth J, Kisley S. (2020). Pharmacological interventions for smoking cessation among people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A systematic review, meta-analysis and network meta-analysis.
The Lancet Psychiatry
(Impact Factor = 16.2), in press.

Mittal V, Firth J, Kimhy D. Combating the dangers of sedentary activity on child and adolescent mental health during the time of COVID-19.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 6.4), in press.

Chaput JP, Willumsen J, Bull F, Chou R, Ekelund U, Firth J, Jago R, Ortega FB, Katzmarzyk PT.
2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years: summary of the evidence.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Impact Factor = 7). 2020;17(1):1-9.

Marx W, Lane M, Hockey M…, Firth J, et al. (2020). Diet and Depression: Exploring the Biological Mechanisms of Action.
Molecular Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 12.4), in press.

Jacob L, Tully M, Barnett Y…, Firth J, et al. (2020). The Relationship between Physical Activity and Mental Health in a Sample of the UK Public: A Cross-Sectional Study During the Implementation of COVID-19 Social Distancing Measures. MENPA, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2020.100345

Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Van Damme T, Firth J, et al. (2020). Metabolic syndrome and its components in people intellectual disability: a meta-analysis.
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, in press.

Veronese N, Fontana L, Piccio L...Firth J, et al. (2020). Adherence to a healthy lifestyle and multiple sclerosis a case-control study from the UK Biobank.
Nutritional Neuroscience, in press.

Linardon…Firth J et al., (2020). E-mental health interventions for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (Impact Factor = 4.5), in press.

Bulzing R, Meyer J, Vancampfort D, Firth J, et al. (2020) Associations of moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior with depressive and anxiety symptoms in self-isolating people during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey in Brazil. Psychiatry Research, in press.

DiPietro L, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle SJ, …Firth J, et al. (2020). Advancing the Global Physical Activity Agenda: Recommendations for Future Research by the 2020 WHO physical activity and sedentary behavior guidelines development group. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Impact Factor = 7). 2020 Dec;17(1):1-1.

2020

Carvalho AF, Firth J, Vieta E. (2020). Bipolar Disorder [Invited Review].
New England Journal of Medicine (Impact Factor = 70.67), 383:58-66.

Solmi M, Firth J, Miola A, Fornano M, Frison E, Fusar-Poli P, Dragioti E, Shin JI, Carvalho A, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A, Kisley S, Correll CU. (2020). Disparities in cancer screening in people with mental illness across the world versus the general population: prevalence and comparative meta-analysis including 4717839 people.
The Lancet Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 16.2), 7: 52-63.

Firth JA, Smith L, Sarris J, …, Firth J. (2020). Handgrip strength is associated with hippocampal volume and white matter hyperintensities in major depression and healthy controls: a UK Biobank study.
Psychosomatic Medicine, 82: 39–46.

Torous J, Lipschitz JM, Ng M, Firth J. (2020). Dropout rates in clinical trials of smartphone apps for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of Affective Disorders, 263: 413-419.

Torous J, Myrick KJ, Ricupero N, Firth J. (2020). Digital Mental Health and COVID-19: Using Technology Today and Accelerating the Curve on Access and Quality for Tomorrow.
JMIR Mental Health, in press.

Teasdale S, Firth J. (2020). Recommendations for dietetics in mental healthcare. (2020).
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, in press.

Vancampfort D, Solmi M, Firth J, Vandenbulcke M, Stubbs B. (2020). The impact of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions to improve physical health outcomes in people with dementia: a meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. JAMDA (Impact Factor = 5.3),in press.

Biazus Sehn LF, Schuch FB, Firth J, de Souza Stigger F. (2020). Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Function of Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, in press.

Brinsley J, Schuch FB, Lederman O…Firth J, et al. (2020). The Effects of Yoga on Depressive Symptoms in People with Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
British Journal of Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 12.68), in press.

Ashdown-Franks G, Sabiston CM, Koyanagi A….Firth J, et al. (2020). Predictors of Physical Activity Recording in Routine Mental Healthcare.
MENPA, in press.

Trott M, Yang L, Jackson S, Firth J et al. (2020). Prevalence and Correlates of Exercise Addiction in the Presence vs. Absence of Indicated Eating Disorders.
Frontiers in Sport and Active Living, doi: 10.3389/fspor.2020.00084.

Stubbs B, Perara G, Koyanagi A…Firth J, et al. (2020). Risk of Hospitalized Falls and Hip Fractures in 22,103 Older Adults Receiving Mental Health Care vs 161,603 Controls: A Large Cohort Study.
JAMDA (Impact Factor = 5.3), in press,
doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.03.005.

Bezerra AP, Machado OM, Maes M… Firth J, et al. (2020). Trichotillomania --- Psychopathological correlates and associations with health-related quality of life in a large sample.
CNS Spectrums, in press.

Trott M, Jackson S, Firth J et al. (2020). Exercise addiction prevalence and correlates in the absence of eating disorder symptomology: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of Addiction Medicine, doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000664.

Sarris J, Sinclair J, Karamacoska D, Davidson M, Firth J.
(2020). Medicinal Cannabis for Psychiatric Disorders: A Clinically-Focused Systematic Review.
BMC Psychiatry, in press.

Brokmeier L, Firth J, Vancampfort D, Smith L, Rosenbaum S, Ward PB, Stubbs B, Schuch FB. (2020). Does physical activity reduce the risk of psychosis? A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.
Psychiatry Research, in press.

Powell A, Torous J, Firth J, Kaufman K. Generating Value with Mental Health Apps. (2020).
BJPsych Open, in press.

Carvalho AF, Solmi M, Sanches M.., Firth J, et al. (2020). Evidence-Based Umbrella Review of 162 Peripheral Biomarkers for Major Mental Disorders.
Translational Psychiatry (I.F. =5.8), in press.

Jacob L, Stubbs B, Firth J, Smith L, Haro JM, Koyanagi A. (2020). Fast food consumption and suicide attempts among adolescents aged 12-15 years from 32 countries.
Journal of Affective Disorders, in press.

Vancampfort D, Basangwa D, Kimbowa S, Firth J, et al. (2020). Test-retest reliability, validity and correlates of the two-minute walk test in outpatients with depression.
Physiotherapy Research International, in press.

Trott M, Jackson S, Firth J, Jacob L, et al., (2020). A comparative meta-analysis of the prevalence of exercise addiction in adults with and without indicated eating disorders.Eating and Weight Disorders, in press.

Veronese N, Solmi M, Demurtas J.., Firth J et al. (2020). Effect of low-dose aspirin on health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, in press.

Carney R, Imran S, Law H, Firth J, Parker S. (2020). Physical health interventions on adolescent mental health inpatient units: a systematic review and call to action.
Early Intervention in Psychiatry, in press.

Vancampfort D, Hallgren M, Schuch F…, Firth J, et al. (2020)
Sedentary behavior and depression among community-dwelling adults aged >= 50 years: Results from the irish longitudinal study on Ageing.
Journal of Affective Disorders, in press.

Korman N, Armour M, Chapman J, Rosenbaum S, Kisely S, Suetani S, Stubbs B,
Firth J, Siskind D. (2020). High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for people with Severe Mental Illness: A systematic review & meta-analysis of intervention studies.
Psychiatry Research, in press.

2019

Firth J, Siddiqi N, Koyanagi A, Siskind D, Rosenbaum S, Galletly C, Allan S, Caneo C, Carney R, Carvalho A, Chatterton M, Correll C, Curtis J, Gaughran F, Heald A, Hoare E, Jackson S, Kisely S, Lovell K, Maj M, McGorry P, Mihalopoulos C, Myles H, O’Donoghue B, Pillinger T, Sarris J, Schuch F, Shiers D, Smith L, Solmi M, Suetani S, Taylor J, Teasdale S, Thornicroft G, Torous J, Usherwood T, Vancampfort D, Veronese N, Ward P, Yung A, Killacky E, Stubbs B. (2019). The Lancet Psychiatry Commission: A Blueprint for Protecting Physical Health in People with Mental Illness. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6 (8): 675-712. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30132-4

Firth J, Teasdale S, Allott K, Siskind D, Marx W, Cotter J, Veronese N, Schuch FB, Smith L, Solmi M, Carvalho AF, Vancampfort D, Berk M, Stubbs B, Sarris J. (2019). The efficacy and safety of nutrient supplements in the treatment of mental disorders: a meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 18 (3) , doi: 10.1002/wps.20672

Firth J, Torous J, Stubbs B, Firth JA, Steiner GZ, Smith L, Alvarez-Jimenez M, Gleeson J, Vancampfort D, Armitage CJ, Sarris J. (2019). The “online brain”: how the Internet may be changing our cognition.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor= 49.6), 18(2);119-129.

Firth J, Veronese N, Cotter C, Shivappa N, Hebert JR, Carolyn Ee, Smith L, Stubbs B, Jackson SE, Sarris J. (2019). What is the role of dietary inflammation in severe mental illness? a review of observational and experimental findings. Frontiers in Psychiatry, doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00350

Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, Carney R, Teasdale S, Solmi M, Stubbs B, Schuch FB, Carvalho AF, Jacka F, Sarris J. (2019). The effects of dietary improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychosomatic Medicine, 81:
265-280.

Firth J, Ward PB, Stubbs B. Lifestyle Psychiatry.
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00597

Firth J, Torous J. (2019). Issues with Inclusion and Interpretation; A Cause for Concern in mHealth Reviews?
Journal of Psychiatric Research (Impact Factor = 4.00), doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.12.010.

Firth J, Teasdale SB, Jackson SE, Vancampfort D, Siskind D, Sarris J, Solmi M. (2019). Do reductions in ghrelin contribute towards antipsychotic-induced weight gain?
Schizophrenia Research (Impact Factor = 4.00), doi:
10.1016/j.schres.2018.12.043.

Dubicka B, Martin J, Firth J. (2019). Screen time, social media and developing brains: a cause for good or corrupting young minds?
Child and Adolescent Mental Health, doi: 10.1111/camh.12346.

Vancampfort D, Firth J, Correll CU, Solmi S, De Hert M, Carney R, Koyanagi A, Carvalho A, Gaughran F, Stubbs B. (2019). The impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to improve physical health outcomes in people with schizophrenia: a meta-review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 18 (1): 53-66.

Ashdown-Franks G, Firth J, Carney R, Carvalho AF, Hallgren M, Koyanagi A, Rosenbaum S, Schuch FB, Smith L, Solmi M, Vancampfort D, Stubbs B. (2019). Exercise as medicine for mental and substance use disorders: a meta-review of the benefits for neuropsychiatric and cognitive outcomes. Sports Medicine (Impact Factor = 11.64), in press.

Ng M, Firth J, Torous J. User Engagement in Mental Health Apps: a systematic review of measurement, reporting and validity.
Psychiatric Services, in press.

Cosco T, Firth J, Vahia I, Sixsmith A, Torous J. Mobilizing mHealth data collection in older adults: Challenges and opportunities.
JMIR Aging, in press.

Allot K, McGorry P, Yuen HP, Firth J, Proffitt TM, Berger G, Maruff P, O’Donnell CJ (2019). The Vitamins in Psychosis Study: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effects of vitamin B12, B6 and folic acid on symptoms and neurocognition in first-episode psychosis. Biological Psychiatry
(Impact Factor = 11.98), doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.12.018

Torous J, Anderson G, Bertagnoli A, Christensen H, Cuijpers P,
Firth J., et al. (2019). Towards a consensus around standards for smartphone apps and digital mental health.
World Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 49.6), 8 (1): 97.

Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Firth J, Hallgren M, Smith L, Stubbs B, Rosenbaum S, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of leisure-time sedentary behavior among 181,793 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 66 low- and middle-income countries. PLoS One, in press.

Dragioti E, Solmi M, Favaro A.., Firth J., et al. (2019). Adverse health outcomes in antidepressants users. An umbrella review of 45 meta-analyses of observational studies.
JAMA Psychiatry (I.F. = 16.3), in press.

Vancampfort D, Hallgren M, Vandael H, Probst M, Van Hoof P,
Firth J, Van Damme T. (2019). Functional exercise capacity in inpatients with alcohol use disorder versus healthy controls: a pilot study.
Alcohol, in press.

Marteen W, Winckel K, Hollingworth S, Kisely S, Gallagher E, Hahn M, Ebdrup BH,
Firth J, Siskind D. (2019). Strategies to counter antipsychotic-associated weight gain in patients with schizophrenia.
Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, in press.

Grabovac I Veronese N, Stefanac …Firth J,… Smith L. (2019). HIV infection and diverse physical health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies.
Clinical Infectious Diseases (Impact Factor = 9.02), in press.

Machado M, Stergiopoulos V, Maes M…Firth J, Carvalho A, et al. (2019). Depression and anxiety in adults with hidradenitis suppurativa: systematic review and meta-analysis.
JAMA Dermatology (Impact Factor = 8.1), in press.

Smith L, Luchini C, Demurtas J..., Firth J, et al., (2019). Telomere length and health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies.
Aging Research Reviews (Impact Factor = 9.0), 51: 1-10

Teasdale S, Ward PB, Samaras K, Firth J, Stubbs B, Tripodi E, Burrows T. (2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the dietary intake of people with severe mental illness: A focus on psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 5.89), doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.20

Travicaa N, D’Cunhab NM, Naumovskib N, Kentd K, Firth J…,Marx W. The effect of blueberry interventions on cognitive performance and mood: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Brain, Behavior and Immunity (Impact Factor=6.03), in press.

Hoare E, Marx W, Firth J, Jacka F, Moschonis G. Lifestyle behavioural risk factors and emotional functioning among Greek schoolchildren: The Healthy Growth Study.
European Psychiatry, in press.

Ashdown-Franks G, Sabiston C, Vancampfort D…Firth J, et al. (2019). Cannabis use and physical activity among 89,777 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 21 low- and middle-income countries.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, in press.

Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Firth J…, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of physical activity among 142,118 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 48 low- and middle-income countries.
Preventative Medicine, 127: 105819.

Chao C, Yang L, Koyanagi A, Vancampfort D, Soysal P, Veronese N, Stubbs B,
Firth J, Smith L. (2019). Handgrip strength is associated with suicidal thoughts in men: Cross-sectional analyses from NHANES. Scand J Med Sci Spor, in press.

Smith S, Grabovac I, Yang L, Firth J, Brendon Stubbs B, Nicola Veronese N, Jackson SE. Sexual activity and cognitive decline in older age: a prospective cohort study.
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, in press.

Swaraj S, Chung D, Curtis J, Firth J, Ramanuj P, Sara G, Wang M, Large M. (2019). Meta-analysis of Natural, Unnatural, and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates Following Discharge from Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, doi: 10.1111/acps.13073

Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Stubbs B, Smith L, Firth J, Hallgren M, Mugisha J, Koyanagi A. (2019). Sedentary behavior and anxiety-induced insomnia among 181,093 adolescents from 67 countries: a global perspective.
Journal of Sleep Research, in press

Ashdown-Franks G, Vancampfort D, Firth J, Veronese N, Jackson SE, Smith L, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A. (2019). Leisure-time sedentary behavior and obesity among 116,762 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 41 low- and middle-income countries. Obesity (Impact Factor = 4.05), in press.

Vancampfort D, Lara E, Smith L, Rosenbaum S, Firth J,
Stubbs B, Hallgren M, Koyanagi A. (2019). Physical activity and loneliness among adults aged ≥50 years in six low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry,
in press.

Jackson SE, Firth J, Grabovac I, Koyanagi A, Stubbs B, Soysal P, Yang L, Smith L. (2019). Sedentary behaviour and chronic stress in old age: a cross-sectional analysis of TV viewing and hair cortisol concentrations.
Psychoneuroendocrinology (Impact Factor = 4.01), in press.

Van der Burg K, Cribb L, Karmacoska D, Firth J, Sarris J. (2019). Nutrient and Genetic Biomarkers of Nutraceutical Treatment Response in Mood and Psychotic Disorders: A Systematic Review.
Nutritional Neuroscience, 9: 1-17.

Jackson SE, Smith L, Firth J, Grabovac I, Soysal P, Koyanagi A, Stubbs B, Veronese N. (2019). Is there a relationship between chocolate consumption and symptoms of depression? A cross-sectional survey of 13,626 US adults.
Depression and Anxiety (Impact Factor 4.1), in press.

Smith L, Firth J, Grabovac I, Roberts J, Koyanagi A, , et al. (2019). The association of grip strength with depressive symptoms and cortisol in hair: a cross-sectional study of older adults.
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports (Impact Factor = 4.6),
in press.

Van der Burg KP, Cribb L, Firth J, Karmacoska D., et al. (2019). EPA and DHA as Markers of Nutraceutical Treatment Response in Major Depressive Disorder.
European Journal of Nutrition (Impact Factor = 4.1),
in press.

Schuch FB, Stubbs B, Meyer J…Firth J, et al. (2019). Physical activity protects from incident anxiety: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
Depression and Anxiety (Impact Factor = 4.1), in press.

Stockwell S, Schofield P, Fisher A, Firth J, Jackson S, Stubbs B, Smith L. (2019). Digital behavior change interventions to promote physical activity and/or reduce sedentary behavior in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2019). Experimental Gerontology, 20:68-87.

Smith L, Jackson SE, Vancampfort D, Jacob L, Firth J, … Koyanagi A. (2019).
Sexual behavior and suicide attempts among adolescents aged 12-15 years from 38 countries: A global perspective.
Psychiatry Research, in press.

Vancampfort D, Van Damme T, Firth J, Smith L, Stubbs B, Rosenbaum S, Hallgren M, Hagemann N, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of physical activity among 142,118 adolescents aged 12–15 years from 48 low-and middle-income countries.
Preventive Medicine, 127:105819

Jackson S, Firth JA, Firth J, Veronese N, Grabovac I, Gorely T, Yang L, Smith L. (2019). Social isolation and physical activity mediate associations between free bus travel and wellbeing among older adults in England.
Journal of Transport and Health, in press.

Deenik J, Czosnek L, Teasdale S, Stubbs B, Firth J et al. (2019). From impact factors to real impact: translating evidence on lifestyle interventions into routine mental healthcare.
Translational Behavioral Medicine, in press.

Ashdown-Franks G, Vancampfort D, Firth J, et al. Association of leisure-time sedentary behavior with fast food and carbonated soft drink consumption among 133,555 adolescents aged 12-15 years in 44 low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Impact Factor=5.5), in press.

Smith L, Pardhan S, López Sánchez GF... Firth J, Lin Yang L. Presenting visual impairment and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in US adolescents and adults.
BMJ Open, in press.

Vancampfort D, Ashdown-Franks G, Smith L, Firth J, Van Damme T, Christiaansen L, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A. (2019).
Leisure-time sedentary behavior and loneliness among 148,045 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 52 low- and middle-income countries.
Journal of Affective Disorders, in press.

Stringer C, Loosemore M, Moller E… Firth J, Smith L. (2019). Promoting physical activity in vulnerable adults “at risk” of homelessness: A Randomised Controlled Trial Protocol.
BMJ Open, in press

Bolzetta F, Veronese N, Stubbs B.., Firth J, Solmi M. The relationship between dietary vitamin K and depressive symptoms in late adulthood: a cross-sectional analysis from a large cohort study. Nutrients (Impact Factor =4.16), in press.

Smith L, Veronese N, Moller E, Johnstone J, Firth J, Grabovac I, Yang L, Soysal P, Jackson SE. Health behaviours and mental and physical health status in older adults with a history of homelessness: a cross-sectional population-based study in England. BMJ Open, in press.

Carvalho AF, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D…Firth J.., Koyanagi A. (2019). Cannabis Use and Suicide Attempts among 86,254 Adolescents Aged 12-15 years from 21 Low- and Middle-income countries.
European Psychiatry (Impact Factor = 4.13), 56: 8-13.

Jackson S, Firth J, Veronese N, Stubbs B, Koyanagi A, Yang L, Smith L. (2019). Decline in sexuality and psychological wellbeing in older adults: a population-based study.
Journal of Affective Disorders, 245: 912-917

Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Firth J, Smith L, Swinnen N, Koyanagi A. (2019). Associations between handgrip strength and mild cognitive impairment in middle-aged and older adults in six low- and middle income countries.
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, doi: 10.1002/gps.5061

Veronese N, Demurtas J, Pesolillo M,.. Firth J et al., (2019). Magnesium and health outcomes: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational and intervention studies.
European Journal of Nutrition (Impact Factor = 4.5), doi: 10.1007/s00394-019-01905-w

Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Mugishae J, Firth J, Van Damme T, Smith L, Koyanagi A. (2019). Leisure-time sedentary behavior and suicide attempt among 126,392 adolescents in 43 countries. Journal of Affective Disorders, doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.03.053

Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Firth J, Koyanagi A. (2019). Handgrip strength, chronic physical conditions and physical multimorbidity in middle-aged and older adults in six low- and middle income countries. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 61: 96-102

Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Smith L, Gardner B, Herring MP,
Firth J, Koyanagi A. (2019). Correlates of sedentary behavior among community-dwelling adults with anxiety in six low- and middle-income countries.
Psychiatry Research, 273: 501-508

2018

Firth J, Firth JA, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Hallgren M, Veronese N, Yung AR, Sarris J. (2018). Association Between Muscular Strength and Cognition in People With Major Depression or Bipolar Disorder and Healthy Controls. JAMA Psychiatry (I.F. = 16.3), 75 (7): 740-746

Firth J, Stubbs B, Teasdale S, Ward PB, Veronese N, Shivappa N, Hebert J, Berk M, Yung AR, Sarris J. (2018). Diet as a hot topic in psychiatry: a population-scale study of nutritional intake and inflammatory potential in severe mental illness. World Psychiatry (I.F. = 49.6), 17 (3), 365-367

Firth J, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Firth JA, Large M, Ward PB, Rosenbaum S, Hallgren M, Sarris J, Yung AR. (2018). Grip strength is associated with cognitive performance in schizophrenia and the general population: a U.K. Biobank study of 476,559 participants. Schizophrenia Bulletin (I.F.= 7.8),
44 (4): 728–736.

Firth J, Torous J, Carney R, Cosco T, Newby J, Christensen H, Sarris J. (2018). Digital technologies in the treatment of anxiety: recent innovations and future directions.
Current Psychiatry Reports [I.F. = 4.1; Invited Review], 20: 44

Firth J, Carney R, Stubbs B, Teasdale S, Vancampfort D, Ward PB, Berk M, Sarris J. (2018). Nutritional deficiencies and clinical correlates in first-episode psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Schizophrenia Bulletin (I.F.=7

No items yet!

Digital Innovation And Lifestyle Interventions Network (DIAL_IN)

[email protected]

Founder

24-Feb-10

Digital Innovation And Lifestyle Interventions Network (DIAL_IN)

[email protected]

Managing Director

24-Feb-10

No items yet!

Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.

Footer

USERN

Contact us

Executives

Useful links

Board

Offices

Archive

Pages

Statute

Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)

Grants

Subscribe to our newsletter

The latest news, events, and resources, sent to your inbox.

Email address

Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Linkedin Telegram

© 2024 USERN, All rights reserved.