Overview
The session will include Dr Amy Hardy summarising theoretical and clinical trial research related to addressing trauma in persistent psychosis, Prof Eric Chen explaining how spurious autobiographical memories in psychosis may provide a mechanism for account for relapses and refractory psychosis and a talk from Prof Sir Robin Murray discussing the potential for an aetiological approach to the treatment of psychosis.
Dr Amy Hardy will discuss the relationship between trauma and psychosis, highlighting how putative psychological mechanisms are potential therapeutic targets. Emerging clinical trial evidence for trauma therapies for psychosis will be described, demonstrating their promise in supporting recovery for people with treatment resistant psychosis and a significant history of trauma.
Prof Eric Chen will review the role of dopamine in memory formation and extinction leading us to an account of how accommodation and extinction of hippocampal and striatal memory traces of acute psychotic experiences may play a role in the long-term course of positive symptoms. The perspective provides a parsimonious framework for understanding how early treatment, autobiographical illness account, normalisation, hyper-salience and hypo-salience interact to determine the persistence of positive symptoms. Implications for optimal integration of biological and psychosocial factors in the long-term intervention strategies for psychotic disorders will be discussed.
Prof Sir Robin Murray's talk will be entitled, “An aetiological approach to treatment of psychosis”. In this he will consider the failure of attempts to sub-classify psychosis by means of biological markers and suggest instead that an approach subdividing patients according to their predominant risk factor (eg neurodevelopmental hazard, drug abuse, social adversity) will bring more therapeutic benefit.
Speakers
Chair: Professor James MacCabe, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London
Dr Amy Hardy, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London
Professor Eric Chen, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Professor Robin Murray. Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London
