Επιστημονικές Εταιρείες/Σύλλογοι/Οργανισμοί

The Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America   SARDAA promotes improvement in lives affected by schizophrenia-related brain illnesses (mental illnesses involving psychosis). SARDAA promotes hope and recovery through support programs, education, collaboration, and advocacy. Our vision is that every person living with a schizophrenia-related brain disorder receives respect, appropriate treatment and an opportunity to live a meaningful and satisfying life in a compassionate community free of discrimination.

International Society for Psychological & Social Approaches to Psychosis   ISPS is an international organization promoting psychological and social treatments for persons with psychosis (a term which includes persons diagnosed with “schizophrenia”). We are committed to advancing education, training and knowledge of mental health professionals in the treatment and prevention of psychotic mental disorders. We seek to achieve the best possible outcomes for service user/survivors of psychosis by engaging in meaningful partnership with health professionals, people with lived experience, family members and carers.

Ερευνητικά Ινστιτούτα/Κέντρα/Εργαστήρια

Schizophrenia International Research Society   The mission of the SIRS is to bring together researchers from across the world who work on schizophrenia and other related disorders.

Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis, University of Oxford, UK   We investigate why people experience hallucinations and delusions, and use that knowledge to develop truly effective treatments for these problems. Our targeted interventions for paranoia are now being tested in randomized controlled clinical trials.

Translational Neurobiology of Psychosis, University of Oxford, UK   We are interested in the molecular and neural basis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and how the risk genes for these disorders operate. We use a range of platforms, methods, and collaborations, to carry out this work.

Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience @ King’s College, UK   The Department of Psychosis Studies is the largest department within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and is one of the world’s largest groups conducting research on psychosis.Our staff are recognised globally as innovators of high-quality translational research and have produced over 1300 scientific publications in the last 5 years, holding approximately £25 million in research grant income. The Institute has received the highest possible ranking (5*) in recent UK Research Assessment Exercises.

Psychosis Research Program (PRP) @ the University of Illinois, USA   The Psychosis Research Program (PRP) at the University of Illinois is interested in the study and treatment of persons with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  The clinical and translational studies include studies of gene regulation, at the molecular and clinical level, using multiple experimental and clinical methods. The primary focus is the dissection of the ‘epigenetic’ layer of gene regulation, and the coordination of this system to genomic integrity, immune gene regulation, treatment response. We are targeting the relationship between biochemical measurements conducted in isolated peripheral immune monocytes, and the qualitative analysis of psychotic experiences. Epigenetic regulatory proteins are modified and catalyzed by a large number of enzymes present in all tissues, which are consequently accessible to multiple biochemical and pharmacological influences present in both the central and peripheral compartments.  Additionally, we are also studying the phenomenology of hallucinations and delusions and targeted clinical treatment strategies/ interventions designed to decrease the level of distress that is commonly experienced with hearing voices and other extreme states.

Horga Lab @ Columbia University, USA   Our lab mainly focuses on the neurobiological and computational mechanisms of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia and of related cognitive functions in health, including sensory and reward-based learning and decision-making. Psychosis is characterized by the experience of abnormal percepts, such as hallucinations, and delusional beliefs. While excessive dopamine transmission in the striatum is known to play a role in these symptoms, the cognitive and computational mechanisms mediating psychotic experiences remain unclear. To understand these neural mechanisms, our research uses behavioral paradigms and computational tools in combination with a variety of functional, structural and molecular in vivo neuroimaging techniques (mainly functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging [fMRI] and Positron Emission Tomography [PET]) in healthy humans and patients with psychotic disorders. We also use pharmacological manipulations to understand the relationships between neurotransmission and specific neural computations, and collaborate with other groups to collect invasive and non-invasive electrophysiological data relevant to our research focus.

Research Teams, The Schizophrenia Center @ Johns Hopkins, USA    The research activities of the Schizophrenia Center include one NIH-designated research center and a growing number of individual faculty-led research programs which are guided by a unifying vision aimed at discovering the pathological mechanisms of schizophrenia and developing novel ways to treat this devastating illness.

Psychosis program @ Yale University, USA    Our mission is rapid knowledge transfer from science to clinical care to better the care of schizophrenia. We develop novel interventions and service delivery methods based on best scientific evidence for common clinical problems in schizophrenia. Our research is led by questions that rise in clinical care. We are also interested in translating emerging neuroscience knowledge into clinically relevant research on schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia/Tamminga Research @ UTSouthwestern, USA   The Division of Translational Neuroscience of Schizophrenia research group’s mission is to focus on developing, supporting, and administering programs of research; research training and resource development aimed at understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and related disorders; and hastening the translation of behavioral and neuroscience advances into innovations in clinical care.

Penn Lab, Social Cognition and Schizophrenia, University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill, USA   Over the past few years, my research has had a particular emphasis on psychosocial treatment for schizophrenia.  Specifically, we have conducted studies examining individual CBT for schizophrenia, group CBT for individuals with medication-resistant auditory hallucinations, illness management and recovery, CBT for first episode psychosis, and Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) (for both schizophrenia and high functioning autism). We have recently completed a randomized controlled trial of Integrated Coping Awareness Therapy (ICAT) for first episode psychosis. ICAT is a manualized treatment focuses on mindfulness and strengths.  We are currently conducting a randomized controlled trial of Physical Activity can Enhance Life (PACE-Life), a group-based walking intervention for schizophrenia.  Finally, we are in the midst of a series of studies and papers under the Black Americans in Schizophrenia Study (BASS) research program.

Schizophrenia Treatment and Research Laboratory @ theUniversity of Rochester, USA   The URMC Department of Psychiatry has a long and distinguished history of innovation and research related to treatment of people with schizophrenia and related disorders.  Early landmarks include development of one of the nation’s first public-academic liaisons under founding chair Dr. John Romano, groundbreaking family research under Dr. Lyman Wynne, and the innovative Monroe-Livingston Demonstration Project under Dr. Haroutun Babigian. Strong Ties Community Support Program was developed during 1990’s under chair Dr. Eric D. Caine as a springboard for study and treatment of adults with severe and persistent mental illness.  Under leadership of Drs. Marvin Herz and J. Steven Lamberti, Strong Ties became the primary site for studies examining novel psychopharmacological and psychosocial treatment strategies. As part of the national Schizophrenia Trials Network during the early 2000’s, Dr. Lamberti and his colleagues initiated several important clinical trials, including the NIMH CATIE, ACLAIMS, CAMP and e-CAESAR studies.  Recent research efforts have featured both national and international collaborations with a common purpose; to improve the lives of people with schizophrenia and their families through generation and dissemination of new knowledge.

Schizophrenia Research Institute @ NeuRA, Australia   The Schizophrenia Research Institute is the only national medical research institute solely dedicated to discovering the ways to better treat, prevent and cure schizophrenia.  Established in 1996 as Australia’s first virtual medical research Institute, the organisation conducts and supports schizophrenia research in hospitals, universities and research institutes across the country and internationally. The Schizophrenia Research Institute drives a proactive research agenda, has invested over $26 million and has had numerous successes to date. The Institute is funded by government grants (NSW Health), corporate and private donations. The Schizophrenia Research Institute’s mission is to discover the ways to understand, better treat, prevent and cure schizophrenia.

Διάφορα

Living with schizophrenia   Living with schizophrenia was launched in 2013 in the UK to provide a platform for those living with schizophrenia in the wider sense: sufferers, carers and relatives, to try to bring a fresh insight to the subjects of schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder and to provide information about the condition to all those living with it. We hope also that the information in these pages will be of use to those working in the field of mental health and will help to improve awareness of the condition in wider society.