'At Risk' Studies
Group
Ultra-High-Risk and High-Risk Research (PACE Clinic plus Grey Zone)
Leader
Members
Dr Barnaby Nelson, Dr Andy Thompson, Assoc Prof G Paul Amminger, Dr Margaret Ross, Dr Shona Francey, Prof Patrick McGorry, Assoc Prof Andreas Bechdolf, Annie Bruxner, Ashleigh Lin, Ashwin Varghese, Christina Broussard, Daniela Spiliotacopoulos, Gennady Baksheev, Jaymee Ryan, Magenta Simmons, Melissa Kerr, Jennifer Betts.
Overview
The ‘At Risk’ area of research seeks to discover who is at risk of developing a potentially serious psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia, and to determine if the onset of such illnesses can be slowed, delayed or even prevented. A central strategy is the identification of factors such as “attenuated” or “sub-threshold” psychotic symptoms, which may be associated with incipient development of a full-blown psychotic episode. Equally important however, is the investigation of “sub-threshold” psychotic symptoms that do not indicate risk of illness. Hence a major area of research is trying to distinguish between those “psychotic-like experiences” which portend onset of disorder, and those with more benign course.
The ‘At Risk’ area of research is divided into two main areas: PACE and The Grey Zone.
PACE
The Personal Assessment and Crises Evaluation (PACE) clinic provides treatment for young people who are identified as being at ultra high risk (UHR) of developing a psychotic illness. They are identified mainly through presence of “sub-threshold” psychotic symptoms or deterioration in psychosocial functioning accompanied by trait risk factors for psychotic disorder, such as a family history of schizophrenia. Along with the clinical service, research is conducted at PACE to better understand the biological and psychological processes underlying the development of psychotic disorders as well as the development of preventive interventions.
“GREY ZONE” Research
The Grey Zone research aims to examine the early manifestations of psychiatric illness. In this phase of illness, symptoms are frequently transitory and undifferentiated. Often these symptoms are hard to distinguish from normal variations in adolescent experience. Accurately identifying young people in this premorbid phase would allow for the administration of preventative interventions and reduce the secondary disability that results from untreated illness in a sensitive developmental phase. A particular agenda of this research is to investigate the prevalence and outcome of different types of psychotic-like experiences in non-psychotic populations.
Current Projects – PACE
Medium to long term outcomes of ultra high risk mental states, ‘PACE 400’
Prefrontal circuitry in UHR individuals
Current Projects – Grey Zone
The use of categorical diagnoses of psychiatric disorders in adolescents or “Grey Zone” study
Psychotic-like experiences in a community sample of adolescents