Structural And Diffusion Tensor Neuroimaging In Twins Concordant And Discordant For Psychosis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,375.00
Summary
Measures from specialised brain scans i.e. MRI's (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) have suggested that several areas in the brain are different in those individuals who suffer from psychosis compared to those who don't. Evaluations of these brain differences have helped us better understand the nature of these illnesses. For example, frontal lobe dysfunction has been linked with the loss of ability to plan and organize information, seen in those who have schizophrenia. These measures may also help cl ....Measures from specialised brain scans i.e. MRI's (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) have suggested that several areas in the brain are different in those individuals who suffer from psychosis compared to those who don't. Evaluations of these brain differences have helped us better understand the nature of these illnesses. For example, frontal lobe dysfunction has been linked with the loss of ability to plan and organize information, seen in those who have schizophrenia. These measures may also help clarify the relationship between the genetic and environmental factors contributing to the development of these disorders. One of the best ways to investigate this relationship is the use of a twin study design. The Australian study of twins with psychosis will recruit dizygotic (DZ) and monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs in which at least one twin is affected by a psychotic disorder, plus control twin pairs matched for age, sex and zygosity. Measures derived from MRI scans will be collected in an attempt to further define specific brain regions reported to be different in psychosis. In addition Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) will be used to visualize white matter tracts in the brain. The twin study design will allow us to differentiate genetic and environmental factors associated with these brain measures and help evaluate the potential for these measures to genetically define sub-groups of individuals with psychotic disorders. The identification of these subgroups would facilitate the search for susceptibility genes. Additionally, this study will help clarify the possible clinical overlap between affective (i.e. bipolar affective disorder) and non-affective (i.e. schizophrenia) psychotic disorders. The information obtained from this study has the potential to greatly improve our understanding of caustive factors in psychosis, which may also lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment, thereby improving prognosis.Read moreRead less
Burden Of Disease: Costing An Effective Package Of Care For Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$272,735.00
Summary
The Global Burden of Disease project, a WHO-World Bank-Harvard collaboration, presented an unprecedented picture of global health across the developed and developing world, providing much-needed information for planning health services. Health was measured at the population level, and combined the number of life years lost due to death and disablement to give a total amount of life lost per disorder. One surprise of the project was the importance of mental disorders, accounting for 43% of life y ....The Global Burden of Disease project, a WHO-World Bank-Harvard collaboration, presented an unprecedented picture of global health across the developed and developing world, providing much-needed information for planning health services. Health was measured at the population level, and combined the number of life years lost due to death and disablement to give a total amount of life lost per disorder. One surprise of the project was the importance of mental disorders, accounting for 43% of life years lost due to disability in countries like Australia. Service planning to reduce this burden requires knowledge of cost-effective treatments.This project will trial a method used for combining burden and cost-effectiveness data to design an essential package of services to address the treatment shortfall in mental disorders. This research will assist in our understanding of why burden due to mental disorders persists, and the extent to which current treatment knowledge is able to address this burden within existing budgetary constraints. This will be achieved by: 1) detailing the costs and population outcome of current services in Australia for mental disorders, to determine which disorders are currently adequately treated and which disorders require further intervention, 2) calculating the costs and outcome of best practice interventions from clinical practice guidelines, to understand the extent to which current treatment knowledge can reduce burden due to mental disorders, 3) examining the equity consequences of such a package of ideal interventions, with the understanding that the treatment endpoint is not the same for all disorders. This is a secondary analysis, representing a method for translating existing cost and outcome data for individual treatments into their costs and consequences for health planning at the population level.Read moreRead less
Healthy Lifestyle Intervention For Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Among People With Psychotic Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$800,806.00
Summary
This study proposes a multi-site randomised controlled trial of treatment to enhance healthy living among people with psychotic disorders, specifically targeting smoking, diet, and physical activity. These issues are highly prevalent, associated with premature death and reduced quality of life among this group. The results will better inform the treatment choices of clinicians, and will potentially improve the match between treatment and client, improving health and wellbeing of this group.
Prevention Of Anxiety And Depression In Children - Development And Evaluation Of A Universal Lifeskills Program
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$274,094.00
Summary
The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a universal school-based mental health promotion program aimed at preventing anxiety and depression in upper primary school students. The program will build on validated methods of increasing resilience and optimism in young people (Jaycox et al., 1994; Clarke et al., 1995; Dadds et al., 1997; Roberts et al., 1998, Shochet et al., 1998). No other prevention programs have addressed both anxiety and depression, nor have they integrated their pro ....The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a universal school-based mental health promotion program aimed at preventing anxiety and depression in upper primary school students. The program will build on validated methods of increasing resilience and optimism in young people (Jaycox et al., 1994; Clarke et al., 1995; Dadds et al., 1997; Roberts et al., 1998, Shochet et al., 1998). No other prevention programs have addressed both anxiety and depression, nor have they integrated their programs into the school curriculum. The universal Aussie Optimism Program will teach optimistic thinking styles and positive self-talk, self-efficacy, coping strategies and social problem solving to children preparing for their transition to high school. It will be designed in modular format to fit with Australian primary school terms and the K-10 Health and Physical Education curriculum. It is designed to be implemented by teachers, plus a family module will be developed to be used as an adjunct to the classroom program. The program is targeted at a developmental stage just prior to the increase in depression symptomatology in early adolescence. The program has the potential to promote the mental health of children on a larger scale than previous programs, to reduce the incidence of anxiety and depression in young people and to increase their resilience to life's stresses.Read moreRead less