A Randomised Controlled Trial Of NMDA Antagonist, Memantine, For The Treatment Of Borderline Personality Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$993,067.00
Summary
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) affects 5.9% of Australians and is a poorly understood mental illness with no clear medication treatment. The key symptoms of BPD all stem from impaired cognitive processes. Our early data shows improvement of symptoms with memantine - a cognitive enhancing drug used in Alzheimer’s disease.We plan to conduct a clinical trial; giving either 20mg memantine or placebo to 150 people with BPD across 2 Victorian sites.
Limbic Maturational Changes In Adolescence And Young Adulthood (LIMCA) - A Longitudinal Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,897.00
Summary
Structural and cognitive changes of the limbic regions have been linked to number psychiatric disorders. A thorough understanding of the dynamics of healthy maturation of these brain areas with age is necessary. The main aim of this research is to longitudinally study and model the neuro-developmental changes of the limbic region during adolescence and young adulthood. These will provide an invaluable template in identifying deviant patterns of limbic development in children with neuropsychiatri ....Structural and cognitive changes of the limbic regions have been linked to number psychiatric disorders. A thorough understanding of the dynamics of healthy maturation of these brain areas with age is necessary. The main aim of this research is to longitudinally study and model the neuro-developmental changes of the limbic region during adolescence and young adulthood. These will provide an invaluable template in identifying deviant patterns of limbic development in children with neuropsychiatric disorders.Read moreRead less
Droperidol And Olanzapine As Adjuncts To Midazolam For The Acutely Agitated Patient: A Randomised Clinical Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,872.00
Summary
Management of the acutely agitated patient, whether due to severe psychiatric illness or drug intoxication, results in a disproportionate use of Emergency Department resources. Drug sedation is frequently employed when an individual is at risk of harming themselves or others. This study will determine if antipsychotic drugs (droperidol and olanzapine), when added to midazolam (a commonly used sedative), is safer and more efficacious than sedation with midazolam alone.
What's In A Conversation? Discourse Correlates Of Concepts In The Conversational Model Of Psychotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,952.00
Summary
How and why does therapeutic talk assist people with mental health disorders to change and restore their sense of self? How do psychiatrists read the potential for such change in the discourse of their patients? This collaborative project, between psychiatry and linguistics, investigates the role of language in providing both strategies for change and evidence of change in the Conversational Model of psychotherapy. The project will examine the linguistic patterns that occur in the forms of talk ....How and why does therapeutic talk assist people with mental health disorders to change and restore their sense of self? How do psychiatrists read the potential for such change in the discourse of their patients? This collaborative project, between psychiatry and linguistics, investigates the role of language in providing both strategies for change and evidence of change in the Conversational Model of psychotherapy. The project will examine the linguistic patterns that occur in the forms of talk used by therapists employing the Conversational Model of Psychotherapy, in order to produce a better understanding of certain mental illnesses, and how they can be treated. Specifically, it will: 1. describe, linguistically, four key discourse categories of the Conversational Model that are taken as indicators of progress in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder 2. explain the therapeutic work of such discourse - what is it about these particular language resources that facilitates the observed changes in patients' discourse and mind? 3. assess the stability of key discourse categories of the Conversational Model, and test the ability of a linguistic profile to reliably distinguish between key therapeutic categories as used by different clinicians. The positive effects of Conversational Therapy on incidence of self harm, violence, hospital stays, drug use and self-reported symptoms in this group have been well documented and are especially impressive given that many of the patients in these studies had been turned away from other forms of treatment as unresponsive. By understanding better how this therapy works in a patient group that is typically resistant to treatment but responsive to this particular treatment, we hope to improve health outcomes for people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. In the longer term we expect this research to help improve techniques for enhancing the mental health of Australians more generally.Read moreRead less
A Prospective Cohort Study Of Mortality, Abstinence, Criminality And Psychiatric Comorbidity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,500.00
Summary
Over 70 000 Australians are dependent on heroin. Heroin dependence is remarkably persistent and is, in many cases, a lifelong condition. Long term treatment outcome and abstinence from heroin among this group are poor. Mortality among heroin users is high, with heroin users dying at a rate 13 times that of peers. Despite the extent of the problem, the natural history of heroin users has not yet been studied in Australia. The current study will be the first Australian study of the natural history ....Over 70 000 Australians are dependent on heroin. Heroin dependence is remarkably persistent and is, in many cases, a lifelong condition. Long term treatment outcome and abstinence from heroin among this group are poor. Mortality among heroin users is high, with heroin users dying at a rate 13 times that of peers. Despite the extent of the problem, the natural history of heroin users has not yet been studied in Australia. The current study will be the first Australian study of the natural history of heroin users. The study will follow up a large cohort of heroin users over a three year period. Estimates will be obtained of mortality rates, abstinence rates, criminal careers, and psychiatric problems among heroin users. It will also examine factors that predict abstinence, mortality, criminality and levels of psychopathology, and determine the health costs associated with heroin use careers. The study will provide essential data on how heroin use progresses, and on what factors predict a better outcome for heroin users.Read moreRead less
Molecular And Cellular Characterisation Of Schizophrenia Associated Dysfunction In MicroRNA Biogenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,205.00
Summary
We have identified substantial changes in the biogenesis of microRNA in schizophrenia. These small non-coding molecules derived from junk DNA, play a significant role in genetic regulation, with each one capable of silencing hundreds of target genes. This has major implications for schizophrenia, which is known to involve substantial changes in gene activity. The project will identify the molecular basis of this alteration in gene silencing, and its biological implications for schizophrenia.
Gaining Two-way Understanding Of Recovery From Chronic And Recurring Mental Disorders In FNQ Indigenous Communities.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,519.00
Summary
Little is known about the rates of chronic and recurring mental illness in the Indigenous population, particularly in remote Indigenous communities. This research aims to document the extent of the problem and explore the factors that place individuals at risk of poorer mental health outcomes as well as those factors that promote resiliency and recovery in the face of such risk. In addition, the concept of recovery in mental illness will be expanded to include Indigenous views.