Harnessing Digital Innovation for Psychosis Care

Ask any adult in the street, and most would tell you they find it challenging to maintain their physical health and fitness. But for people living with psychosis, staying physically healthy can be extra tough.

Antipsychotic medications often cause excessive sleepiness, dizziness and sensations of vertigo, consequently reducing the ability and motivation to exercise. Cruelly, these drugs are also known to cause increased appetite and cravings for sweet or highly processed foods, leading to weight gain. Smoking rates are also much higher in people with psychosis, who often take up the habit in a bid to reduce the significant psychological and social stresses of living with the condition.

These challenges associated with both the treatments and the condition itself are profound and mean that people with psychosis often die much younger than they should (up to 20 years earlier than the rest of the population). This is largely as a result of preventable conditions related to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle.

“But okay,” I hear you say, “these conditions might be preventable, but with so many obstacles to maintaining physical health and fitness, how do we best support people with psychosis to make and sustain healthy lifestyle changes?”

Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (QCMHR) researcher Dr Mike Trott is on a mission to answer this very question. His goal? To help transform the way physical health is supported in people with psychosis.

His program of work combines data science, digital innovation and, importantly, guidance from those who live with the condition to ensure that lifestyle factors are no longer overlooked in mental health care.

“We know that people with psychosis face some of the worst health outcomes in medicine,” Dr Trott said. “What’s most tragic is that much of this is preventable, but the right tools and guidance just aren’t there yet. That’s what my research is aiming to change.”

By generating personalised risk profiles, Dr Trott and his team will be able to identify who is most at risk of poor health outcomes and when intervention could make the greatest difference. They will also create new digital tools using wearable technology to encourage activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in everyday life. “By harnessing these tools, we can meet people where they are and support healthier choices in real time,” Dr Trott explained.

Importantly, the project will co-design the world’s first “living guidelines” for lifestyle behaviours in psychosis, developed in collaboration with people who have lived experience and continually updated to reflect emerging evidence. “It’s essential that people who live with psychosis every day are not just participants in research, but partners in shaping the solutions,” he said.

Although still early in his career, Dr Trott has already made an international impact. He was senior author on a landmark trial showing that semaglutide, a medication for diabetes, can achieve significant weight loss in people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia without compromising psychiatric care. The findings have sparked new clinical trials across Europe and North America, earning him the 2025 Queensland Health Research Excellence Award. “That trial showed what’s possible when we think differently about physical health in mental illness”, Dr Trott said.

Collaboration is central to his work. He has built partnerships across 30 countries and engages directly with people with lived experience of psychosis to ensure the research addresses their real-world priorities. He is also mentoring the next generation of mental health researchers, with his students already winning major fellowships, grants, and awards under his guidance.

“Ultimately, this is about giving people living with psychosis the chance to live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives,” Dr Trott said. “If we can close even part of that life expectancy gap, it will be life-changing for individuals, families and communities.”

Through this ambitious program, Dr Trott hopes to close the life expectancy gap for people with psychosis by embedding practical, evidence-based lifestyle interventions into everyday clinical care. His vision is to create a healthier future where people with severe mental illness can live longer, more active and more fulfilling lives.

Established in 1987, QCMHR is funded by Queensland Health to work state-wide and contribute to the local, national, and global research efforts to improve mental health.

Contact:

Dr Mike Trott, Research Fellow

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Author and media contact:

Laura Corcoran, Research Communications Officer

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