UNDERSTAND: Uplifting the New generation through DBT Education and Resilience for Social Triggers, Anxiety, Negativity, and Depression
Overview
Many college students experience comorbid depression and anxiety, exacerbating symptom severity and functional impairment. While evidence-based treatments like CBT and DBT demonstrate efficacy, they lack real-time, context-aware delivery at moments of heightened distress.
We are developing a mobile health (mHealth) system that leverages ubiquitous computing, wearable sensing, and machine learning to detect physiological and socio-behavioral indicators of distress in situ. Upon detection, the system delivers Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAI) informed by DBT principles to provide personalized, contextually relevant support.
By targeting transdiagnostic mechanisms such as emotional dysregulation, interpersonal challenges, and cognitive distortions, our approach aims to improve scalability and relevance across diverse populations with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders.
Nadir Weibel
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
Manas Bedmutha
Ph.D. Student
Manas is currently working on developing technologies for supporting social wellbeing – across in-person conversations (social signal processing) as well as building digital just-in-time interventions (JITAIs) for social engagement
Aaron Broukhim
Ph.D. Student
Isaac Bouchard
Ph.D. Student
(Co-Advised with Elizabeth Eikey)
Isaac grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Applied Psychology from UCSB. Prior to joining UCSD, he received his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Research from California State University, Northridge. During his master’s program, he served as a Dissemination and Implementation Science intern at UCSD. His research interests lie in the areas of dissemination and implementation science, digital health tools, and community-based participatory research. Aside from research, Isaac loves to rock climb, read fiction, and hike.