Psychosis research and preventive psychiatry

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Our research aims to improve the lives of individuals affected by psychosis and other severe mental disorders.

Description of our research

Severe mental illness including psychotic disorders and schizophrenia, cause substantial suffering for affected individuals, their families, and society. Our research group conducts interdisciplinary research spanning disease mechanisms, early detection, prevention, and treatment, with a particular focus on psychotic conditions.

Through the recently established Uppsala Centre for Preventive Psychiatry, funded by Forte, we work closely with leading researchers across disciplines at Uppsala University, integrating perspectives from psychiatry, psychology, public health, health economics, and medical humanities.

Psychotic symptoms involve disturbances in the perception and interpretation of reality, commonly manifesting as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganised thinking. While such symptoms occur across diagnostic categories, they are most prominent in primary psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. The Uppsala Psychosis Cohort is a longitudinal, multimodal research programme in which we use state-of-the-art methods to investigate the biological and clinical mechanisms underlying the emergence and course of psychotic symptoms. The overarching aim is to identify markers of risk and resilience that can ultimately inform improved diagnostic strategies, prognostic tools, and preventive or disease-modifying interventions. The project is conducted in close collaboration with Uppsala University Hospital, particularly services for early detection and intervention in psychosis. National and international collaborations include the Karolinska Schizophrenia Project and the Psychiatric Biomarker Network coordinated by the Broad Institute (USA).

A major challenge for prevention and early intervention in severe mental illness is the timely identification of individuals at increased risk. To address this, we conduct several projects focusing on the evaluation, validation, and implementation of digital decision-support tools for assessment of risk of severe mental conditions and their life-shortening outcomes, including suicide. A central platform for this work is the European consortium ePreventPsych, supported by Transforming Health Care and Services (THCS) within the Horizon Europe framework and involving partners from six European countries. The consortium was initiated within the ECNP network on Prevention of Mental Disorders and Mental Health Promotion. A key focus of ePreventPsych is to systematically address barriers and facilitators to implementation of these tools in real-world healthcare settings, including primary care, general psychiatry, and psychosis-specialised services.

The group also conducts treatment and intervention research. The MCT-minus project, led by postdoctoral researcher and clinical psychologist Linda Swanson, is a randomised controlled trial evaluating a modified metacognitive training intervention targeting negative symptoms in psychotic disorders. MCT-minus is a collaboration between Region Sörmland (lead institution), Uppsala University, Region Västmanland, and Region Uppsala.

Our research is supported by funding from the Swedish Research Council, Forte, Vinnova, the ERC, the Swedish Brain Foundation, Thurings Foundation, the Swedish Society of Medicine, and participating regions.