Wednesday 22 July 11:25
- 12:55
Hall: 18 - Room 15 SA
Chair and Presenter:
Gesteira Clara
Division: Division 6: Clinical and Community Psychology
Psychosis is a serious mental health problem with social and economic impact. Schizophrenia is among the 25 leading causes of disability worldwide (GBD 2021 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators, 2024). In this symposium, more effective procedures of detection and intervention will be examined.
Ways are currently being sought to refine traditional psychosis risk detection, through the study of its risk factors. Family environment represents a significant risk factor that impacts psychosis prognosis, nevertheless not much is known about its effect on the at-risk of psychosis symptoms. M.D. Ricardo Guinea will examine the effect of a range of family factors related to family functioning in the psychotic-like symptoms. Other factors, such as childhood adversity, are robust environmental factors for both psychosis and high-risk states for psychosis. However, the relationships between types of adversity and subclinical psychotic symptoms remain unclear. Dr. Clara Gesteira will discuss the relationship between types of childhood abuse and neglect and kinds of psychotic-like experiences, while Dr. Beatriz Cobos will focus on the impact of bullying on high risk for psychosis.
Besides, the results of standard treatments for fully developed psychotic disorders are very limited (Jaaskelainen et al., 2013), and although early interventions for patients who are still experiencing their first psychotic episode have been proven as effective in improving the course of the disorder, there is no solid evidence that early treatments can prevent future relapses (Fusar-Poli et al., 2017). The study of risk factors, again, could be crucial in this field. Dr. Nina Mørkved will analyze the relationship between childhood trauma, cognitive performance, parental mental health status and antipsychotic effectiveness in schizophrenia spectrum disorder. For her part, Dr. Rita Roncone will explore the role of cognitive biases in the psychosis continuum, testing whether a metacognitive approach in early psychosis can be promising in the prevention of psychotic crises.
