Improving Cognitive Health in Early Psychosis and Depression with AI assisted Cognitive Remediation

For individuals with mental health conditions, cognitive difficulties often stand as a major barrier to achieving recovery and independence. Over the last three decades, Cognitive Remediation (CR), an evidence-based psychological intervention, has been shown to improve both cognition and functioning. At King’s College London, we developed CIRCuiTSTM, an innovative CR programme that integrates key elements such as task practice, therapist support, strategy teaching, and support for generalisation, while also focusing on metacognition, a critical factor in accelerating learning and skills transfer. Independent studies confirmed the benefits of CIRCuiTSTM in young people with psychosis, with growing evidence supporting its efficacy in other conditions. Despite robust evidence for CR, global adoption remains limited due to the significant therapist time required, posing challenges to implement it in resource-constrained clinical settings. This research addresses this gap by developing an AI chatbot to support the safe, effective, and efficient delivery of CIRCuiTSTM. Co-produced with experts by experience and computer scientists, the AI-supported CR will be trialled with young people experiencing psychosis and depression. In partnership with industry, we will the conduct an observational study to provide the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence with evidence for broader implementation of CR in health services.