The three-year study is led by mental health data science company Akrivia Health Ltd in partnership with Cardiff University and is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, with funding from the Wellcome Trust and Johnson & Johnson. 

Dr Adrian James, NHS England's national medical director for mental health and neurodiversity, said: ‘The new study gives us the opportunity to change the way we treat these conditions and we're using the NHS's DigiTrials service is to invite suitable people faster, fairly and at scale. I'd encourage anyone contacted to consider signing up to be part of this ground-breaking study.'

Ten NHS mental health trusts are already supporting the project and anyone over 18 from those areas who has been diagnosed with a severe mental health condition can join.

Patients will be provided with at-home sampling kits as well as with targeted support from the NHS for those who are more severely ill or face barriers to using technology.

The study will combine genetic data from blood or saliva samples given by volunteers with online questionnaire responses and information from their NHS medical records – linking genes, background, biology and mental health.

The initiative will develop most detailed ever dataset on serious mental health condition to help transform understanding, improve diagnosis and unlock new, more personalised treatments.