The session will focus on increasing understanding of chronobiology and its clinical relevance in mental health difficulties. It will introduce basics of normal circadian rhythms and the evidence for disruption of these in mental health disorders. It will cover practical strategies for treatment of mood disorders, menopause and aging. In addition, data and clinical application will be discussed in in-patient treatment of severe mental health disorders.
Professor Richard Porter will give an overview of data regarding chronobiology and chronobiological treatments in mood disorders. He will present new data on augmenting treatment for bipolar disorder with chronobiological techniques including social rhythm therapy and bright light treatment, and he will discuss practical chronobiological strategies in mood disorders.
Dr Katie Marwick will discuss changes in chronobiology in menopause and aging and discuss chronobiological strategies to address sleep disturbance in menopause and aging. She will present new data from the UK Biobank regarding the effects of menopause on chronotype.
Dr Havard Kallestad will discuss the design of in-patient units to facilitate circadian rhythmicity with reference to a circadian unit in Trondheim in Norway. He will discuss practical ways to facilitate circadian rhythms in physical environments and will present data on outcomes in the Trondheim unit. In addition, he will discuss the use of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and other psychological therapies, particularly their use to facilitate sleep in in-patient units.
Learning objectives
In this session you will gain:
- Understanding in the basic biology and importance of circadian rhythms in health and in mental health disorders
- Understanding of the importance of changes in chronobiology in aging and in menopause
- Understanding of the practical treatments such as psychological treatments, melatonin, bright light and blue light blocking which may be used to improve sleep and to augment treatment in.
Speakers
Chair: Professor Richard Porter, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
Professor Richard Porter, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
Dr Katie Marwick, Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
Professor Havard Kallestad, Clinic of Mental Healthcare, St Olavs Hospital, Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress webinar 2025 package. If you attended all four days of Congress, you will have access to these as part of your Congress package. Otherwise the Congress webinar 2025 package can be purchased below.
