MAIN PROJECTS
The i4i Mental Health Challenge Award: Immersive virtual reality to transform the lives of patients with psychosis
NHS NIHR Research Professorship: Overcoming Persecutory Delusions
Oxford Virtual Reality (VR) for Mental Health
The Feeling Safe Study
Immersive Virtual Reality Cognitive Treatment (VRCT) for persecutory delusions
Daniel Freeman
PhD DClinPsy CPsychol FBPsS
Professor of Clinical Psychology
- Lead, Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP)
- NIHR Research Professor
- Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Founder of Oxford VR
- Fellow, University College Oxford
- Fellow, British Psychological Society
Follow Daniel Freeman on Twitter
Research Group: Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP)
BBC Radio 4 Series: A History of Delusions
The purpose of my work is to make significant advances in the understanding and treatment of mental health disorders, particularly the problem of paranoia. Drawing on a variety of approaches, including epidemiological studies, psychological experiments, clinical trials, and a ground-breaking virtual reality laboratory, I use the theoretical knowledge to develop carefully tested psychological treatments that will truly make a difference.
At the moment several randomised controlled treatment trials are in progress. This includes a test of a new targeted, personalised psychological treatment for persecutory delusions, called the Feeling Safe Programme. This is a translational treatment built upon advances by my research group in the theoretical understanding of paranoia. The target is a recovery rate of 50% for persecutory delusions that have not responded to previous treatment. There are also a number of studies running that will lead to a greater understanding of the causes of psychotic experiences. The research is supported by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), UK Medical Research Council (MRC), and the Wellcome Trust.
I pioneered the use of virtual reality (VR) to assess, understand, and treat paranoia. Subsequently I have led work designing and testing new automated VR psychological therapies for mental health disorders. The aim is to produce VR therapies that produce greater clinical effects than face-to-face therapies. I founded and am a non-executive board member of Oxford VR, a spinout company from the University. Oxford VR built on my research into the use of virtual reality to understand and treat psychological disorders. I founded the company in 2016 with Jason Freeman, Mel Slater, Bernhard Spanlang, and Mavi Sánchez-Vives.
I’m also committed to making knowledge of the best psychological research and treatments for mental health problems available to the general public. Therefore I’ve written a number of popular science books on mental health issues. The latest to appear is The Stressed Sex: Uncovering the Truth about Men, Women, and Mental Health, which sets out to answer a simple, but crucial, question: are rates of psychological disorder different for men and women? This important issue has been largely ignored in all the debates raging about gender differences.
I studied natural sciences at the University of Cambridge, completed a PhD and a doctorate in clinical psychology (DClinPsy) at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, then held a Wellcome Trust Fellowship and a Medical Research Council Senior Clinical Fellowship. In 2011 I moved to the University of Oxford and set up the Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP) research group. I am the recipient of the 2020 British Psychological Society Presidents' Award.
Recent open access papers
Sleep disturbance and psychiatric disorders
Automated virtual reality cognitive therapy for patients with psychosis
Automated psychological therapy using virtual reality (VR) for patients with persecutory delusions
Coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, mistrust, and compliance with government guidelines in England
Automated psychological therapy using immersive VR for treatment of fear of heights
Virtual reality in the assessment, understanding, and treatment of mental health disorders
Treatable clinical intervention targets for patients with schizophrenia
The weeks before 100 persecutory delusions
The effects of improving sleep on mental health (OASIS)
Persecutory delusions: a cognitive perspective on understanding and treatment [pdf]
Suicidal ideation and behaviour in patients with persecutory delusions
The Dunn Worry Questionnaire and the Paranoia Worries Questionnaire: new assessments of worry
The revised Green et al., Paranoid Thoughts Scale (R-GPTS)
Virtual reality in the treatment of persecutory delusions
The concomitants of conspiracy concerns
Effects of cognitive behaviour therapy for worry on persecutory delusions (WIT)
Targeting recovery in persistent persecutory delusions
Advances in understanding and treating persecutory delusions
Height, social comparison, and paranoia: an immersive virtual reality experimental study
Key publications
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2020), Psychol Med, 1 - 34
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2020), Lancet Psychiatry, 7, 628 - 637
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2018), Lancet Psychiatry, 5, 625 - 632
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2017), Lancet Psychiatry, 4, 749 - 758
-
Journal article
Freeman D., (2016), Lancet Psychiatry, 3, 685 - 692
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2016), Br J Psychiatry, 209, 62 - 67
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2015), Lancet Psychiatry, 2, 305 - 313
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2015), Lancet Psychiatry, 2, 975 - 983
Recent publications
-
Immersive virtual reality and digital applied gaming interventions for the treatment of mental health problems in children and young people: The need for rigorous treatment development and clinical evaluation
Journal article
CRESWELL C. et al, (2021), Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
-
Journal article
Bird JC. et al, (2021), Aust N Z J Psychiatry
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2020), Psychol Med, 1 - 34
-
Cognitive appraisals of dissociation in psychosis: A brief new measure
Journal article
CERNIS E. et al, (2020), Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy
-
Journal article
Waite F. et al, (2020), BMJ Open, 10
-
Journal article
Sheaves B. et al, (2020), Psychol Psychother
-
Dissociation in relation to other mental health conditions: An exploration using network analysis
Journal article
CERNIS E. et al, (2020), Journal of Psychiatric Research
-
Journal article
Henry AL. et al, (2020), J Sleep Res
-
Journal article
Brown P. et al, (2020), Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
-
Journal article
Tsiachristas A. et al, (2020), Health Qual Life Outcomes, 18
-
3. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (schizophrenia,
schizoaffective disorder, short-term psychotic episodes)
Chapter
SHEAVES B. and FREEMAN D., (2020), European Sleep Medicine Textbook (Second Edition)
-
Conference paper
Freeman D., (2020), JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY NEUROSURGERY AND PSYCHIATRY, 91
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2020), Psychol Med, 1 - 2
-
Journal article
Sheaves B. et al, (2020), Behav Cogn Psychother, 1 - 15
-
Journal article
Morrison AP. et al, (2020), Lancet Psychiatry
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2020), Lancet Psychiatry, 7, 628 - 637
-
Journal article
Brown P. et al, (2020), Behav Res Ther, 132
-
Journal article
Brown P. et al, (2020), JMIR Res Protoc
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2020), Psychol Med
-
Journal article
Bird JC. et al, (2020), Schizophr Res, 220, 116 - 122
-
Journal article
Brown P. et al, (2020), Scientific Reports
-
Journal article
Brown P. et al, (2020), Sci Rep, 10
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2020), Psychol Med, 1 - 13
-
Journal article
Brown P. et al, (2020)
-
BELIEFS ABOUT THE SELF AND OTHERS IN PARANOIA
Conference paper
Brown P. et al, (2020), SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN, 46, S269 - S269
-
THE CAUSAL DYNAMICS OF PARANOIA IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA: A THEORY DRIVEN NETWORK ANALYSIS
Conference paper
Bird J. et al, (2020), SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN, 46, S274 - S274
-
Sleep disturbance and psychiatric disorders: the non-specific as essential in understanding and treating mental ill health
Journal article
FREEMAN D. et al, (2020), Lancet Psychiatry
-
Describing the indescribable: A qualitative study of dissociative experiences in psychosis
Journal article
CERNIS E. et al, (2020), PLoS One
-
Journal article
Waite F. et al, (2019), Schizophr Res
-
EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF DIGITAL CBT FOR INSOMNIA ON DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH INSOMNIA SCORING ABOVE CLINICAL CUT-OFF FOR DEPRESSION: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF 3,352 PARTICIPANTS FROM TWO LARGE-EFFECTIVENESS RCTS (OASIS & DIALS)
Journal article
Henry A. et al, (2019), SLEEP MEDICINE, 64, S150 - S151
-
Journal article
Isham L. et al, (2019), Psychol Psychother
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2019), Psychol Med, 1 - 10
-
Journal article
Waite F. et al, (2019), BJPsych Open, 5
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2019), BJPsych Open, 5
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2019), Schizophr Res, 211, 44 - 50
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2019), BMJ Open, 9
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2019), Compr Psychiatry, 93, 41 - 47
-
Journal article
Martens MA. et al, (2019), J Psychopharmacol
-
Journal article
Pyle M. et al, (2019), Trials, 20
-
Journal article
Sheaves B. et al, (2019), Can J Psychiatry
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2019), Psychol Med, 1 - 10
-
Journal article
Reeve S. et al, (2019), Schizophr Bull, 45, 287 - 295
-
Journal article
Brown P. et al, (2019), Clin Psychol Rev, 68, 25 - 37
-
Journal article
Barkhuizen W. et al, (2019), Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 58, 267 - 276.e8
-
Journal article
Reeve S. et al, (2019), Schizophr Res, 204, 326 - 333
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2019), Trials, 20
-
Journal article
Bird JC. et al, (2018), Schizophr Bull
-
Conference paper
Bird JC. et al, (2018), Schizophr Bull
-
Journal article
Hardy A. et al, (2018), JMIR Ment Health, 5
-
Journal article
Sheaves B. et al, (2018), Behav Cogn Psychother, 46, 661 - 675
-
Do environmentally-induced psychotic experiences exist in adolescence?
Conference paper
Ronald A. et al, (2018), BEHAVIOR GENETICS, 48, 510 - 511
-
Journal article
Reeve S. et al, (2018), Psychiatry Res, 269, 673 - 680
-
Journal article
Murphy P. et al, (2018), Lancet Psychiatry
-
Bullying Victimisation and Risk of Psychotic Phenomena
Conference paper
Broome M. et al, (2018), EARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, 12, 83 - 83
-
Journal article
Espie CA. et al, (2018), JAMA Psychiatry
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2018), Lancet Psychiatry, 5, 625 - 632
-
Journal article
Sheaves B. et al, (2018), Psychol Med, 48, 1694 - 1704
-
Journal article
Isham L. et al, (2018), Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy
-
Journal article
Pain O. et al, (2018), Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet, 177, 416 - 425
-
Journal article
Kuipers J. et al, (2018), Psychol Med, 1 - 8
-
Journal article
Shakoor S. et al, (2018), J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 59, 565 - 573
-
Journal article
Waite F. and Freeman D., (2018), Psychiatry Res, 263
-
Journal article
Vorontsova N. et al, (2018), J Psychiatr Res, 100, 5 - 7
-
Journal article
Bradley J. et al, (2018), Behav Cogn Psychother, 46, 276 - 291
-
Journal article
Tsiachristas A. et al, (2018), BJPsych Open
-
Journal article
Reeve S. et al, (2018), Schizophr Bull, 44, 662 - 671
-
ANXIETY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOTIC EXPERIENCES IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Conference paper
Bird J. et al, (2018), SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN, 44, S335 - S336
-
Journal article
Hundal H. et al, (2018), J Psychopharmacol, 32, 276 - 282
-
Journal article
Waite F. et al, (2018), Front Psychiatry, 9
-
Journal article
Garety PA. et al, (2017), Trials, 18
-
Journal article
Bird JC. et al, (2017), Psychiatry research, 257, 34 - 39
-
Investigation of genetic factors underlying specific psychotic experience traits during adolescence and their relationship with psychiatric disorders
Conference paper
Ronald A. et al, (2017), BEHAVIOR GENETICS, 47, 687 - 687
-
Journal article
Moffa G. et al, (2017), Schizophr Bull, 43, 1273 - 1279
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2017), Lancet Psychiatry, 4, 749 - 758
-
Journal article
Rek S. et al, (2017), Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 52, 1123 - 1133
-
Journal article
Freeman D. and Waite F., (2017), World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 16, 208 - 209
-
Journal article
Rehman A. et al, (2017), Psychosis, 9, 129 - 139
-
Journal article
Bebbington P. and Freeman D., (2017), Schizophr Bull, 43, 273 - 282
-
Journal article
Hosang GM. et al, (2017), J Affect Disord, 207, 228 - 235
-
Journal article
Geddes G. et al, (2016), Psychiatry research, 246, 601 - 605
-
Journal article
Startup H. et al, (2016), Br J Clin Psychol, 55, 387 - 400
-
Clinician perceptions of sleep problems and their treatment in patients with non-affective psychosis
Conference paper
Rehman A. et al, (2016), JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH, 25, 283 - 283
-
Journal article
Zavos HMS. et al, (2016), Schizophr Bull, 42, 1197 - 1206
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2016), Behav Cogn Psychother, 44, 539 - 552
-
Journal article
Taylor MJ. et al, (2016), Psychiatry Res, 241, 35 - 42
-
Journal article
Sheaves B. et al, (2016), Psychiatry Res, 241, 141 - 146
-
Journal article
Freeman D., (2016), Lancet Psychiatry, 3, 685 - 692
-
Journal article
Hardy A. et al, (2016), Schizophr Bull, 42 Suppl 1, S34 - S43
-
Journal article
Černis E. et al, (2016), Behav Cogn Psychother, 44, 472 - 481
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2016), Br J Psychiatry, 209, 62 - 67
-
Journal article
Shakoor S. et al, (2016), Br J Psychiatry, 208, 532 - 538
-
Journal article
Li SX. et al, (2016), Sleep, 39, 1275 - 1282
-
Journal article
Waite F. et al, (2016), Psychol Psychother, 89, 181 - 193
-
Journal article
Espie CA. et al, (2016), Trials, 17
-
Journal article
Spain D. et al, (2016), Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 25, 97 - 111
-
Journal article
Collett N. et al, (2016), Psychiatry research, 239, 79 - 84
-
Journal article
Waite F. et al, (2016), Behav Cogn Psychother, 44, 273 - 287
-
Journal article
Freeman D. et al, (2016), Trials, 17
-
Journal article
Sheaves B. et al, (2016), Sleep, 39, 173 - 181
-
Journal article
Atherton S. et al, (2016), Behav Cogn Psychother, 44, 56 - 64