The Sussex Psychosis Research interest Group (SPRiG) incorporates clinical and academic researchers within the University of Sussex, Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The SPRiG group is part of the Clinical and Developmental research group at the University of Sussex.
Current research includes the contribution of genetics, neuroimaging, psychological processes, health and social contexts to psychosis and well-being outcomes; the development of new psychological therapies, including third wave CBT and computer-based therapies; understanding and addressing childrens’ and adolescents’ attitudes to psychosis, to promote positive non-stigmatising schema; and earlier engagement in help seeking.
We host SPRiG seminars throughout the year at University of Sussex or Sussex Education Centre. Visit our events pages for more information or follow us on Twitter for updates on psychosis new items, research projects and psychosis events. @SPRiGSussex
Next seminar:
Wednesday 27th November, 4.00-5.00pm
Speaker: Prof Sir Robin Murray: King's College London
An Aetiological approach to the Treatment of Psychosis
Traditional psychiatric textbooks describe schizophrenia as a progressive disease of unknown aetiology. However, this is wrong. First we now realise that schizophrenia itself is not a disease but rather a clinical syndrome. It is simply the severer manifestation of psychosis, and there exists a continuum of psychosis which stretches into the general population. Thus, psychosis is distributed like hypertension, and schizophrenia is the equivalent of severe hypertension. As in hypertension, modern treatments for psychosis have made the outcome much better
Secondly we know a great deal about the causes. Polygenic susceptibility is pre-eminent but a small proportion of schizophrenia (perhaps 3%) results from copy number variants (CNVs) impacting on neurodevelopmental genes. A number of environmental factors have been consistently associated with psychosis. Some such as adverse obstetric events (e.g. prenatal infection, perinatal hypoxia) impair neurodevelopment. Abuse of drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine and cannabis which increase striatal dopamine, also increase risk. Heavy use of high potency cannabis is responsible for about 30% of psychosis in South London. A range of social adversities such as child abuse, adverse life events, migration/minority ethnicity also facilitate dopamine dysregulation and consequent psychosis.
Thirdly, rather than have pointless arguments over whether a patient meets criteria for schizophrenia or not, we consider it better to categorize psychotic patients according to their predominant aetiology. For example, neurodevelopmental, drug induced, secondary to social adversity, affective psychosis etc. In this way we can treat not only the psychosis but the aetiological factors which are driving the psychosis.
Join Zoom link:
https://universityofsussex.zoom.us/j/95344009931
