Dr. Patricia Deldin Named Deputy Director of Eisenberg Family Depression Center

At the end of March, Patricia Deldin, Ph.D., was named deputy director of the Frances and Kenneth and Family Eisenberg Center by Director Srijan Sen, M.D. Dr. Deldin is currently a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry. She has been an associate director of the Center since 2008.

Recently, Dr. Deldin founded a new treatment aimed at improving individuals’ mental wellbeing, called Mood Lifters. Inspired by her own journey with the Weight Watchers program, Dr. Deldin wanted to fill the gap in the lack of psychologically sophisticated and accessible mental health care for all individuals, regardless of whether they had a psychiatric diagnosis.

This revolutionary program provides people across the United States of America (and soon, beyond) with low-cost access to mental health support. Participants engage in weekly meetings led by experts who teach science-based strategies about how to improve one’s personal and interpersonal relationships and overall wellbeing.

Participants can practice these strategies and apply them to their own unique experiences. Ultimately, the program hopes to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness and increase engagement with populations who are often less likely to pursue care. Mood Lifters serves as a paradigm shift in the way mental health is treated, from traditional therapy sessions to a more accessible and inclusive platform.

Dr. Deldin received her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Iowa after which she completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before coming to Michigan, Dr. Deldin taught classes on Psychophysiology at Harvard for several years.

Her primary area of research involves analyzing the differences in cognitive processing for individuals with mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia. Dr. Deldin has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles, and serves as the director of the Mood and Schizophrenia Lab at U-M. Nationally, Dr. Deldin has participated in research for the National Institute of Mental Health and helped launch the National Network of Depression Centers as a founding board member.