EVIDENCE
The ‘STOP’ story, told through publications:
Underpinning mechanistic research
Trotta, A., Kang, J., Stahl, D., & Yiend, J. (2020). Interpretation Bias in Paranoia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Psychological Science, 9(1), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702620951552
Yiend, J., Allen, P., Lopez, N. D., Falkenberg, I., Tseng, H. H., & McGuire, P. (2019). Negative Interpretation Biases Precede the Onset of Psychosis. Behavior therapy, 50(4), 718–731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2018.11.002
Proof of principle
Savulich, G., Edwards, A., Assadi, S., Guven, H., Leathers-Smith, E., Shergill, S., & Yiend, J. (2020). Biased interpretation in paranoia and its modification. Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry, 69, 101575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101575
Feasibility trial (CBM-pa)
Yiend, J., Lam, C. L. M., Schmidt, N., Crane, B., Heslin, M., Kabir, T., McGuire, P., Meek, C., Mouchlianitis, E., Peters, E., Stahl, D., Trotta, A., & Shergill, S. (2023). Cognitive bias modification for paranoia (CBM-pa): a randomised controlled feasibility study in patients with distressing paranoid beliefs. Psychological medicine, 53(10), 4614–4626. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722001520
User acceptability
Leung, C. J., Fosuaah, A., Frerichs, J., Heslin, M., Kabir, T., Lee, T. M. C., McGuire, P., Meek, C., Mouchlianitis, E., Nath, A. S., Peters, E., Shergill, S., Stahl, D., Trotta, A., & Yiend, J. (2019). A qualitative study of the acceptability of cognitive bias modification for paranoia (CBM-pa) in patients with psychosis. BMC Psychiatry, 19, 225. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2205-5
Eid, L., Kenny, A., Taher, R., Jacobsen, P., Hsu, C. W., & Yiend, J. (2025). A Digital Mental Health Intervention for Paranoia (the STOP App): Qualitative Study on User Acceptability. JMIR human factors, 12, e70181. https://doi.org/10.2196/70181
STOP (successful treament of paranoia)
Hsu, C. W., Stahl, D., Mouchlianitis, E., Peters, E., Vamvakas, G., Keppens, J., Watson, M., Schmidt, N., Jacobsen, P., McGuire, P., Shergill, S., Kabir, T., Hirani, T., Yang, Z., & Yiend, J. (2023). User-Centered Development of STOP (Successful Treatment for Paranoia): Material Development and Usability Testing for a Digital Therapeutic for Paranoia. JMIR human factors, 10, e45453. https://doi.org/10.2196/45453
Overcoming regulatory challenges
Taher, R., Hall, C. L., Gomez Bergin, A. D., Gupta, N., Heaysman, C., Jacobsen, P., Kabir, T., Kalnad, N., Keppens, J., Hsu, C.-W., McGuire, P., Peters, E., Shergill, S., Stahl, D., Stock, B. W., & Yiend, J. (2024). Developing a process for assessing the safety of a digital mental health intervention and gaining regulatory approval: A case study and academic’s guide. Trials, 25, 604. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08427-4
Digital Therapeutic Alliance Study
Taylor, T., D'Alfonso, S., Dolan, M. J. T., Yiend, J., & Jacobsen, P. (2025). How do users of a mental health app conceptualise digital therapeutic alliance? A qualitative study using the framework approach. BMC public health, 25(1), 2450. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23603-5