Who we are…
We are the National Institutes for Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Behavioural Change.
Who we are…
We are the National Institutes for Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Behavioural Change.
What We Believe
We believe that emotional support is as vital to our wellbeing as physical healthcare.
Therefore NISAD works in both.
We believe that everyone has the right to access emotional support that is either free or affordable, available quickly, and without the need for long-distance travel.
What is NISAD?
NISAD stands for the National Institutes for Stress, Anxiety, Depression & Behavioural Change. We are a non-profit research collaboration that brings together work being undertaken on non-communicable diseases [i] in many countries.
NISAD has two main points of focus:
– Pure research into the ways that behaviours and beliefs affect emotional wellbeing.
We examine, with fresh minds, some of the world’s most stubborn health challenges bringing our expertise in behaviour and biomedical science to the problem.
– The creation of programmes, products and entertainment that help children, adolescents and adults understand and manage their feelings and moods.
To this end, NISAD has created a number of products and services based on ELK (Emotional Learning & Knowledge) – an emotional competence model that can be used both for preventative and remedial purposes.
NISAD’s intention is to provide ELK programmes that will help all humans to have agency over their lives whether things are going how they’d like – or whether they’re not.
Everyone experiences difficulties, loss, uncertainty – and the odd curveball!
NISAD’s experience is that helping people to know that having the resources and support to cope with life’s challenges and difficulties is a much healthier, happier strategy than if they just hope that bad things won’t happen.
Coping not hoping
Through our progammes, it’s possible to move from simply hoping things will be OK to coping with how things are.
[i] Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are those you “get”, rather than those you “catch”.
We are, sadly, very familiar with the concept of communicable diseases because they include the common cold, flu and, of course, COVID. We increasingly understand what we need to do to make people who have them better (e.g. medications, surgeries, nursing programmes). We also have methods to prevent people getting them (e.g. general hygiene, masks, vaccines, social distancing).
NISAD is a research organisation that specialises in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). They include those in the name of our organisation – so illnesses associated with stress, anxiety and depression – and also things like heart diseases, strokes, cancers, diabetes, as well as diseases linked to tobacco, alcohol and recreational drugs, and those linked to behavioural or environmental issues.
The World Health Organisation says that 71% of all deaths are caused by NCDs – so, the ones people ‘get’ rather than ‘catch’.
Clearly, NCDs are just as serious as communicable diseases but they call for a different strategy. This is because part of the problem is some of the things that we do. Although medical interventions may be helpful or even necessary, changing behaviours is often critical to recovery. And when it comes to prevention, changing our behaviours is the major factor.
But knowing we need to change what we do usually doesn’t lead to long-term changes in what we actually do! Ask anyone who has been told they need to change their diet, drink less alcohol, or exercise more!
Changing behaviour is difficult for everyone – and particularly difficult for people who have too much stress and anxiety in their lives or who experience depression often.
Yet the right support can make it possible.
Researching and then creating that support is what NISAD does.
We are always pleased to hear from you
If there’s anything about us you’d like to know, please ask us.
We are a team of innovative scientists, researchers & therapists working with behaviour change.
Insight, Stories & News
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The National Institutes for Stress, Anxiety, Depression & Behavioural Change (NISAD) are 7 foundations, associations and research centres working to a common goal.
That goal is enabling everyone to access emotional healthcare.
National Institute for Changing Behaviours and Responses to Emotions (“NICBARE”)
National Institute for Better Understanding of Self-harming (“NIBUSH”)
National Institute for Research into Migrants’ Emotional Wellbeing (“NIRMEW”)
National Institute for Research into Stress and Pregnancy (“NIRSAP”)
National Institute for Research into Type 2 Symptom Alleviation (TYPE 2 Alleviation)
National Institute for Research into Domestic and Work Stress (NIRDAWS)
Which includes the Lund Centre for Entrepreneurial Motivation and Wellbeing