A REVOLUTIONARY app that could transform the lives of people with paranoia will be trialled in Oxford.

The SlowMo app, designed to slow down negative thoughts, has been created by Oxford University researchers, patients and clinicians.

It will be tested through Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust as part of a research trial set to begin in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

A sample of people with psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia will be asked to try the app, which allows users to input distressing thoughts such as 'They are laughing at me' or 'I am being spied on' as many times as they need to.

The app then asks a series of questions to which the user agrees or disagrees, such as 'could the situation be due to chance?' in an effort to break the cycle of destructive thinking.

Early testing has proved positive with one anonymous user stating: “I was really nervous about doing SlowMo, but it wasn't as stressful as I thought.

"It's changed my perspective on my thinking habits, now I think it's like there's two sides to every story, there's two reactions, thinking fast or thinking slow."

Therapy sessions and a website will also be used to improve negative thoughts, as part of a programme designed by Oxford University.

The study will include 360 people with some taking part in the programme on top of their usual care, others carrying on with their current treatment alone, so that the two approaches can be directly compared.

The trial has been funded by the Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network and has been developed by Oxford University and King’s College London, with design support from The Royal College of Art.

SlowMo is the culmination of three decades of research, led by Professor Philippa Garety at King’s College London and Professor Daniel Freeman at Oxford University.

Dr Andrew Molodynski, mental health lead for the CRN, said: “The SlowMo study is a real step forwards, allowing people with psychosis to play an active role in their treatment, ensure it is personalised, and hopefully gain more mastery of symptoms that can be hugely distressing.

“It builds on the excellent pioneering work of professor Dan Freeman and his team at Oxford University and it is wonderful that these opportunities for patients to try novel therapies exist in the Thames Valley.”

Dr Mar Rus-Calafell, SlowMo lead clinical psychologist from Oxford University's Department of Psychiatry, added: “The combination of a digital therapy and a mobile app allows us to help people to slow down their thinking and to implement and use these strategies in their daily life.”

For more information contact trial co-ordinator Dr Rus-Calafell on mar.ruscalafell@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk.